By Jenna SundelShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA Minnesota judge acquitted a man on multiple charges after a jury found him guilty of aiding and abetting theft, sparking backlash from conservatives on social media.
Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Judge Sarah West on Thursday granted a motion for acquittal filed by Abdifatah Abdulkadir Yusuf on charges related to fraud at a company he owned, Promise Health Services LLC. West ruled that the state’s case “relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.”
“While the Court is troubled by the manner in which fraud was able to be perpetuated at Promise, the State’s evidence did not exclude other reasonable, rational inferences that are inconsistent with Mr. Yusuf’s guilt,” West wrote.
Why It Matters
Earlier this year, a national association of federal judges said there has been a "rise in criticism, threats and violence aimed at members of the judiciary."
"Specific decisions issued by judges are not formed from individual opinions, but rather are prepared against evaluation of what the ‘laws on the books’ require," the Federal Judges Association said in a statement in March.
...What To Know
The judge’s ruling has been criticized by conservatives. Republican Minnesota State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Kristin Robbins told KARE that she was “stunned” by the decision.
“I was surprised to see the judge overturned a jury’s guilty verdict & acquit a defendant in a $7.2 million fraud case involving Medicaid," she wrote on X. "I will be looking at ways to strengthen state law so fraud cases can be successfully prosecuted in state court.”
Conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck wrote on X: “Judge Sarah West didn’t just overturn a jury who convicted Abdifatah Yusuf of stealing millions from taxpayers, she didn’t even really explain why except that he could’ve not been guilty. Judges like this are destroying trust in our system. We need MAJOR change to restore trust.”
A representative for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office told Newsweek: “The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is appealing.”
“Judge West’s 55-page order meticulously considered the facts and faithfully applied the law. It affirms what we have maintained from the very beginning: that Abdifatah Yusuf did not commit fraud or racketeering,” Yusuf’s attorney, Ian Birrell, told Newsweek. “The Court’s Order affirms the fundamental principle that justice requires both fairness and proof. We appreciate the Court's thorough consideration of all the proceedings and we are confident Mr. Yusuf’s innocence will be affirmed through the appeal process.”
Yusuf was charged with one count of racketeering and six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in June 2024 in connection with fraudulent claims submitted by Promise Health Services to Medicaid for reimbursement. Prosecutors alleged that Yusuf’s fraud cost the Medicaid program more than $7.2 million.
The court acquitted Yusuf of racketeering on August 12 of this year. Later that day, the jury returned guilty verdicts on each remaining count.
West ruled that there is a “reasonable, rational inference” that Yusuf owned Promise Health Services and was involved on paper, but his brother was the one “committing the fraud and operating the business in a reckless manner without Mr. Yusuf’s knowledge or involvement.”
“The State simply wants to show that there is fraud at Promise, therefore Mr. Yusuf knew and intentionally aided in the same," West wrote. "However, the State overinflates the actual fraud in their investigation and presentation, failed to provide actual circumstantial evidence tying Mr. Yusuf to his brother’s activities, and the evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction for the six counts of Aiding and Abetting Theft By Swindle.”
What People Are Saying
Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Judge Sarah West, in an order: “The Court is concerned about the fraud that occurred at Promise. The way this case was presented and the failure by the State to actually connect the dots, even through clear inference from circumstantial evidence, that Mr. Yusuf knowingly assisted in the fraud is more than concerning. The trier of fact, and this Court upon review, should not be in a place of having to dig through and work to interpret the volumes of evidence to establish the State’s case.”
Republican Minnesota State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Kristin Robbins told KARE: “I was stunned. We want to strengthen state law so that we can get prosecutions out of these cases. Because clearly a jury thought he was guilty.”
What Happens Next
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office said it is appealing the decision.
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