A St. Paul man was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in what Ramsey County authorities described as a “massive” multimillion-dollar public benefits fraud scheme.

Joshua John Miller received his sentence in Ramsey County District Court earlier this month on one count of felony-level racketeering. Miller pleaded guilty to the charge last spring, court records say.

The 34-year-old previously faced sixteen additional felony counts of theft by swindle, but those charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal.

Miller’s attorney, Brian Marsden, said his client got swept up in a scheme that was over his head.

“(Miller is) gentle and kind and certainly very naive,” Marsden said. “He had no criminal history and he was a hard worker but he learned to do things the wrong way by an employer who was robbing the state. … He didn’t know that, should have known it at a certain point, and I’m just sorry he’s in prison.”

Miller was one of four people reportedly involved in the fraud scheme, which involved falsifying records to obtain public assistance through a home health care business and three child care centers in the Twin Cities.

The operation traces back to about 2009 and is believed to have cost the state about $4 million, according to criminal complaints in the case.

Yasmin Abdulle Ali, 36, of Fridley is suspected of masterminding the scheme. Her husband, Ahmed Aden Mohamed, 48, was also charged. Ali faces more than 50 felony counts for her alleged conduct; her husband 20.

Both have failed to appear for court hearings in their continuing cases and warrants have been issued for their arrests. An attorney listed for Ali on court records did not return a call for comment.

Jordan Christopher Smith, 31, of Cottage Grove, was also charged. He pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting felony-level theft by swindle and was sentenced to 10 years of probation.

Ali was the primary owner of All Nations Home Health Care and the Deqo Family Center, which operated child care facilities in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Apple Valley.

Mohamed ran daily operations at the St. Paul child care center. Miller was involved with operations at the child care centers and the home health care business.

Smith, who had the smallest role in the alleged conspiracy, was contracted to help with billing for All Nations.

Under Ali’s direction, the men allegedly falsified documents to illegally receive a substantial amount of money from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program and the Minnesota Health Care Program. Related Articles Minneapolis man pleads guilty to torching University Avenue business during May unrest

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The majority of fraudulent funds were obtained via the child care centers, court documents say. Ali and Mohamed allegedly recruited mothers to enroll their children in the day cares and also offered to hire them to work at the facilities, making the women eligible to receive public benefits under the state’s child care assistance program.

To meet the program’s working requirements; fraudulent pay stubs were created to make it look as if the mothers worked more hours than they often did, court documents say.

Training records for the employees were also allegedly falsified.

The fraud orchestrated via the home health care business involved submitting claims for reimbursement from the Minnesota Health Care Program for care provided by people who did not perform the work.

Marsden said it’s unfortunate Miller had to take the fall for something he didn’t personally profit from.

“The principals took the money and fled… so Josh was left to hold the bag and he goes to prison,” Marsden said. “It’s one of those terrible cases.”