Minnesota Autism Supervisor From Arizona Charged in Alleged $7.7 Million Medicaid Scheme

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – Federal prosecutors say Emily Marice Ravits, a 74-year-old clinical social worker from Tucson, Arizona, served as the required supervisor for multiple Minnesota autism providers without carrying out her duties.

Ravits was indicted Oct. 22 on one conspiracy count and six counts of making false statements in health care matters. Prosecutors allege she allowed providers to bill for services that were not performed or did not qualify for payment, and to submit false treatment-plan certifications. The indictment alleges that one provider submitted about $7.77 million in false claims and received about $7.47 million in Medicaid payments. Neither figure represents Ravits’s alleged personal gain.

Minnesota calls the role a qualified supervising professional, or QSP. Under Department of Human Services (DHS) rules, QSPs approve and sign treatment plans and supervise the staff delivering care. State law says the QSP “takes full professional responsibility” for each supervisee’s services. Licensed behavior analysts and mental health professionals, including licensed independent clinical social workers, may qualify subject to the state’s experience or training requirements.

The indictment alleges Ravits signed treatment plans without meeting recipients or independently determining whether services were medically necessary. Her attorney told KARE 11 she owned no facilities, was an employee, and had spent decades helping children and families. The court lists her initial appearance for Nov. 6. The charges are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The Justice Department’s Oct. 30 announcement also included two other autism cases. Feisal Mohamed Elmi, 46, of New Brighton, was indicted Oct. 22 on 11 counts of health care fraud. Prosecutors allege he billed for services never provided, including sessions purportedly delivered while employees were abroad. Elmi pleaded not guilty Oct. 29, MPR News reported. Habiba Mohamed, 58, of Coon Rapids, was charged by information Oct. 29 with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors allege she paid parents kickbacks in exchange for being able to submit claims for services.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the defendants in the announcement, which also covered cases in other Minnesota benefit programs, “stole money meant for the vulnerable, and they will be brought to justice.”

What Minnesota Requires of Supervisors Now

Minnesota tightened its supervision requirements in 2026. Since Jan. 1, QSPs have had to be employees of every agency they work for. Each client must receive a monthly observation and direction session, in which a clinician observes treatment and guides staff, with no more than two consecutive months conducted by telehealth. Since July 1, DHS says the QSP must personally conduct that required session.

In a September 2025 training, DHS said the monthly-session rule would apply to out-of-state supervisors: “They must fulfill the requirements like any other QSP.” The indictment places the alleged conspiracy between May 2023 and April 2026. The January employment rule overlaps part of that period; the July requirement for QSP-led monthly sessions came later.

DHS enrollment rules also require agencies to confirm that their QSP is enrolled with Minnesota Health Care Programs and disclose that person as a “managing employee” on the agency’s ownership and control form or in the state’s enrollment portal.

DHS requires supervisors to keep caseloads they can oversee effectively. Each client must receive at least one hour of clinical supervision for every 16 hours of direct treatment, unless a different ratio is authorized in the treatment plan. QSPs can work for several agencies. As DHS said in an August 2025 training Q&A, “They remain responsible for all clients whose [treatment plans] they sign.”

AT A GLANCE

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