Investigators searched the offices of Brilliant Minds Services in St. Paul’s Griggs-Midway Building on Wednesday morning. The building had 22 service providers operating from it, according to a search warrant affidavit. (US District Court of Minnesota)
When the state launched the program it estimated it would cost about $2.6 million annually, but by 2024 the program had paid out more than $104 million in claims for services purportedly provided to more than 21,300 people, the search warrant affidavit says. It adds that in the first six months of this year, the program paid more than $61 million that reportedly went to more than 21,000 people.
A state provider directory lists more than 1,700 housing stabilization providers. Hundreds of organizations have been billing the state for these services in recent years. They haven’t needed a state license to do the work.
The investigation found an association among many of the program’s top billers, and notes that 22 different providers report to be operating out of the Griggs-Midway Building in St. Paul. From January 2024 through May 2025, the affidavit says, the 22 providers received more than $8 million in Medicaid payments for housing stabilization services.
The affidavits include many stories of people who said they were wronged by providers, including a woman who signed up to receive housing assistance from Liberty Plus but said the company never found her a place to live or otherwise helped her. She said Liberty Plus “ignored her,” often failing to return calls, and when she tried calling, she sometimes found its phone number had been disconnected.
Anwar Ahmed Adow created Liberty Plus and is the brother of Asad Ahmed Adow, who owns Leo Human Services, investigators found.
Affidavits note Leo Human Services received more than $2.7 million in housing stabilization funds between November 2022 and April 2025 and claimed to have helped about 290 people. But supposed clients reportedly told investigators they didn’t receive the services for which the company billed and many remain homeless.
