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Massive Minnesota sex trafficking case sprawls to allege more than $1 million in Medicaid fraud

Prosecutors say the ring used businesses tied to a former county prosecutor to bill Medicaid for more than $1 million while exploiting more than a dozen victims.

  • On Monday, authorities charged five individuals, including former Anoka County assistant attorney Andrea Sampson, in a sex trafficking and Medicaid fraud scheme. Sampson and three others face 26 felony counts for promoting and profiting from prostitution.
  • Investigators allege the group operated through the website "Minnesota Erotica Personals," using sex trafficking victims to recruit fake Medicaid patients. Sampson allegedly secured locations for illicit work and laundered proceeds through shell companies.
  • Businesses including REVA Health and Helpful Housing LLC submitted $4.65 million in Medicaid claims between May 2023 and February 2026. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans called the operation a "complicated scheme" designed to exploit victims.
  • All four primary suspects remain in custody at the Hennepin County Jail, with bail set at $1 million for each. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty praised the 13 victims for their courage in helping investigators uncover the scheme.
  • Sampson was fired after Anoka County Attorney Brad Johnson learned of the investigation and is due back in court next month. Prosecutors intend to hold the defendants accountable for the "level of sophistication and victimization" involved in the scheme.
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Massive Minnesota sex trafficking case sprawls to allege more than $1 million in Medicaid fraud

Charges against members of a Twin Cities sex trafficking ring have shed light on what prosecutors call an elaborate conspiracy between an alleged pimp, an Anoka County prosecutor and several others that also defrauded the state of more than $1…

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Fox 9 broke the news in Minneapolis, United States on Monday, August 17, 2026.
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