Minnesota judge tosses jury conviction of Somali couple for fraud
Who needs a jury? – says a Minnesota judge, who decided to throw out one of those convictions for fraud we’ve heard so much about:
Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife, Lul Ahmed, were charged in June 2024 and were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while operating a home healthcare business. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office said the business lacked an office building and operated for “years out of a mailbox.”
The attorney general’s office said Yusuf received Medicaid money by billing for services not provided and services that lacked “any documentation,” and overbilled for services.
Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund a “lavish lifestyle,” including shopping sprees at luxury stores such as Coach, Michael Kors, Nike, Nordstrom and more.
A jury found the couple guilty. But the judge, Sarah West (who looks to be about twelve years old, going by her photo at the link) threw the verdict out because she said the evidence was circumstantial. The jury foreman begged to differ with her ruling:
Ben Walfoort, the jury foreperson in Yusuf’s case, said the decision to convict wasn’t a complicated one.
“It was not a difficult decision whatsoever,” he said, according to KARE. “The deliberation took probably four hours at most. Based off of the state’s evidence that was presented, it was beyond a reasonable doubt,” Walfoort said. “I am shocked. I’m shocked based off of all of the evidence that was presented to us and the obvious guilt that we saw based off of the said evidence.”
Most criminal convictions are based primarily on circumstantial evidence. You know that West has done something really unusual by the fact that Keith Ellison has challenged her ruling:
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, led by Democrat Keith Ellison, has filed an appeal of West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s verdict.
I didn’t think a judge got to overrule a jury like that, but maybe this varies state to state.
There are only two possibilities, both involve corruption. Either there is corruption in the traditional sense, or there is such vehement leftist political zeal that people like this judge are too stupid to take what would gladly be paid for in such a situation. I’m going with “both/and”.
Bring the whole thing down…all of it.
The judge is like an NPR reporter—she presumes the jury is racist until it’s proven otherwise.
We live in a different country from them.
She’s only following the examples provided by dozens of Federal District Court judges who have been enjoining President Trump’s executive actions – nationwide. Maybe she’s hoping to be elevated to the Federal bench.
Is Ellison feeling the hot breath of the Feds? Doesn’t want to go down with the Governor?
Or Omar?
If even Ellison thinks this should be overturned, you know this is a junk ruling.
The focus has been on Walz, but Ellison cannot let this go in the current scandal environment.
Cap’n Rusty:
What she did – overruling a jury’s verdict for very little reason- is actually of a different order, and even more extreme.
Caveat: I know essentially nothing about this case, except for headlines and ledes.
M J R Comment: Might it be that the judge fears for her life (and her family’s lives)?
As Keir Starmer was overheard saying, “Who really needs a jury?”
Who indeed….
“Nice little judgeship you got here. Shame if something happened to it”.
Somalis to the judge
I had the same thoughts as MJR and physicsguy. There has been a threat to her and her family.
Unbelievable.
I don’t think she needed a threat. She has the power (judges can, as I understand it, throw out a verdict), she hates Trump, no doubt, and that’s that. But apparently her decision can be appealed, no double jeopardy, since the jury convicted.
Why even bother if a a Comassar Judge is in charge?
Let the jury stay home and the Judge can decide to let the criminals go or let the criminals go
Either way everyone wins
And L. James walks on her Mortgage Fraud, which was real, but a GJ indicted Trump on Trumped Up charge. What a country, what.
Too much is left dangling here with no reasonable explanation. I look forward to reading more about this story, as I feel certain there is enough there for several more stories.
They don’t realize it but this only hardens an opposition.
Used to be that if you threatened a judge the local cops would be interested. About time for the Feds to get involved, although the Minneapolis Chief of Police might panic and ask the local serfs/subjects to call 911.
Calling 911 in Minneapolis is liable to end with the local serfs/subjects shot dead by one of the responding officers, especially if said serf is a bit on the pale side.
I hyperbolize, but there is precedent. After what happened to Justine Damond, I would not call 911 in Minneapolis either.
I don’t think it’s necessary to postulate a threat. I recall reading somewhere that this judge is very leftist, and typically rules that way, although I don’t think any examples were given.
Lab Rat:
The Minneapolis Chief of Police has urged the serfs/subjects to call 911 if serfs/subjects fear that ICE may be in the village and the the Minneapolis police will protect the serfs/subjects from the ICE men.
The Chief is a Minneapolis maroon; Supremacy Clause, local cops and he will go to jail if they interfere with the Feds.
This is just like when a left wing state doesn’t vote the “correct” way on a referendum question and like England with Brexit—they simply say the people voted wrong and then do what they want
Speaking of Minneapolis police and courts, Andrew Branca has a video up (youtube) whee he analyzes the latest filing in Chauvin’s appeal saga. It looks like some MPD cops were less than forthright in their trial testimony. Chauvin’s team has receipts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRgU4xDYPOc
Hot Somalis?
Don’t need ‘em.
We have our own homegrown…
“GAO Bombshell Reveals Obamacare Fraud on a Massive Scale”—
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/04/obamacare-subsidy-fraud-is-even-worse-than-you-thought-n4946695
OK, now do that butt-ugly Library (and its rather impressive cost overruns).