MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman is charged with wire fraud for her alleged role in a widespread scheme to defraud taxpayers of money intended to pay for autism services.

Asha Farhan Hassan is the first person to be charged in what is expected to be another far-ranging case that was discovered by investigators looking into the $300 million Feeding Our Future pandemic meal fraud case.

Hassan herself was enrolled in the meal program through Feeding our Future in July of 2020, and claimed to feed 300 children daily, seven days a week. Her fraudulent claims in that program totaled $465,000 in reimbursements, according to the indictment.

But Hassan's role in the alleged autism scam is far greater, totalling more than $14 million in Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (

See Full Page