CBS News: ‘Fraud Tourists’ Told Minnesota State Programs Were a Good Opportunity to Make Money

There was much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments when CBS News announced that it had hired left-of-center Bari Weiss as its editor in chief. One Slate writer bemoaned the fall of CBS News from Dan Rather to Weiss. Rather himself questioned Weiss' qualifications, calling her hiring a "dark day" for the network. Some quit rather than work under Weiss' supervision. Former Fox News and CNBC contributor Julie Roginsky asked us to "pray for 60 Minutes."

A week ago, CBS News showed that it was up to doing actual journalism by covering the massive fraud in Minnesota:

EXCLUSIVE: Luxury cars, private villas and overseas wire transfers: CBS News obtained dozens of files and photos that reveal how Minnesota fraudsters blew through hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars as part of one of the biggest COVID-era fraud schemes.… pic.twitter.com/6falojnlNP
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 11, 2025

Despite that, we were a little surprised (pleasantly) when we saw Weiss post a CBS News story on how Minnesota became a magnet for "fraud tourists."

Jonah Kaplan and Michael Kaplan report:

Abdinajib Hassan allegedly registered a company to help channel state resources to the families of children with autism, spending some of the $6 million he took from the program on the purchase of a Freightliner semi-truck.
Hassan Ahmed Hussein and Ahmed Abdirashid Mohamed are accused of pocketing $750,000 intended to help Medicaid recipients find housing, then using the money on international travel.
Kaamil Omar Sallah allegedly submitted $1.4 million in fraudulent claims as part of a housing stabilization services fraud scheme. He spent $150,000 of it on crypto and fled to Amsterdam after he was subpoenaed, officials say.
Asha Farhan Hassan, who was previously charged in multiple fraud schemes, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of wire fraud.
Prosecutors said Thursday that they are investigating roughly $18 billion spent on social programs in Minnesota since 2018. CBS News asked how much they believe was fraud, and they said they've "seen more red flags than legitimate providers."