The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged two Nigerians, Christopher Falade, 62, and his son, Emmanuel Falade, 32, along with six others, in connection with a $2.2 million housing stabilization fraud scheme in Minnesota.
According to the DoJ, the Falades operated Faladcare Inc. under the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) Programme, which was meant to provide housing consulting, transitioning, and sustaining services for vulnerable residents.
Instead, prosecutors say the father-son duo and their co-conspirators submitted inflated reimbursement claims over several years, siphoning off millions of dollars intended to support struggling beneficiaries.
The indictment alleges that the group falsely claimed to have served roughly 100 individuals, diverting much of the fraud proceeds to themselves and their employees.
The other defendants named in the case include Moktar Hassan Aden, 30, Mustafa Dayib Ali, 29, Khalid Ahmed Dayib, 26, Abdifitah Mohamud Mohamed, 27, Asad Ahmed Adow, 26, and Anwar Ahmed Adow, 25.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson condemned the fraud, describing it as “schemes stacked upon schemes” that drained resources from those who genuinely needed housing support.
“The fraud must be stopped,” he said, adding that this case marks the first wave of charges in what officials believe is a widespread abuse of the programme.
