{"id":2457,"date":"2026-06-26T20:39:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2457"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:39:39","slug":"exclusive-joni-ernst-introducing-bill-to-yank-passports-from-fraudsters-accused-of-swindling-taxpayers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2457","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Joni Ernst Introducing Bill To Yank Passports From Fraudsters Accused Of Swindling Taxpayers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_1 --> <\/p>\n<p>Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst plans to introduce legislation that would require alleged fraudsters to surrender their passports as a condition of pretrial release, the Daily Caller News Foundation learned Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2455\">On Verge Of Extinction, \u2018Moderate\u2019 Dems Declare Last Stand Against Ascendent Socialist Candidates<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The \u201cPreventing Fugitive Fraudsters Act\u201d would require defendants accused of government program fraud to surrender their passports upon pretrial release to ensure they cannot flee the U.S. Many defendants accused of fraud were released on bail and fled the U.S. despite warnings that they posed a flight risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFugitive fraudsters are fleeing justice and the country with stolen taxpayer dollars in tow, enabled by lenient liberal judges letting them keep their passports before trial,\u201d Ernst told the DCNF. \u201cAnyone ripping off hardworking Americans does not need a passport to reach their final destination, which should be behind bars. We need to ground these high-flying con artists for good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" data-auto-height=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/1055193427\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-8xaTH1JR15q4cUgraWJO\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> Preventing Fugitive Fraudsters Act  by  nicolesilverio<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_2 --> <\/p>\n<p>Ernst\u2019s office told the DCNF when asked about potential due process concerns that because there is no right to pretrial release, no due process rights would be infringed. <strong>(RELATED: Illegal Alien Sentenced 8 Years For $89 Million Payroll Tax Fraud Scheme)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, Michael Fox, a CATO Institute legal fellow, told the DCNF that the legislation was a \u201cdangerous solution\u201d that could force low-risk defendants with no foreign connections to unnecessarily surrender their passports. He argued the legislation was rooted in a \u201cprofound misunderstanding of federal bail law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Preventing Fugitive Fraudsters Act is a dangerous solution in search of a problem, arising out of a profound misunderstanding of federal bail law,\u201d Fox told the DCNF. \u201cUnder current law, federal judges already possess broad authority to seize passports\u2014or detain individuals pretrial who pose a genuine flight risk\u2014 following an individualized determination. By flipping the script and making passport forfeiture the default mandate for these fraud statutes, this bill further empowers prosecutors and unnecessarily sweeps in defendants with deep community ties and zero intention of fleeing the jurisdiction\u2014let alone the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_3 --> <\/p>\n<p>A defendant would not have to surrender their passport if a judge issued \u201cspecific written findings of fact\u201d that the surrender would be \u201cunnecessary,\u201d the legislation states.<\/p>\n<p>A number of alleged fraudsters released from custody skipped their court appearances and fled the U.S. to avoid conviction, Ernst\u2019s office told the DCNF. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, an individual named Abdirashid Ismail Said allegedly billed Medicaid for nearly $11 million over four years, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison\u2019s office. During a probation violation hearing, Said allegedly lied under oath by denying any involvement with the scheme.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2453\">Judge Rules Mistrial In Deadly Palisades Fire Case<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A case detective warned Said could be a potential flight risk since his wife and child lived in Kenya, according to Fox 9 KMSP. However, a judge presiding over the case released Said from custody on a $150,000 bond, and he skipped his court appearance after appearing to flee the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Another suspect, Kaamil Omar Sallah, owned a company called SafeLodgings, Inc., which was accused of defrauding Minnesota\u2019s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The state paid Sallah nearly $1.3 million to provide Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) between March 2023 and August 2025, although he allegedly spent much of the funds on himself and investments, including nearly $150,000 in a cryptocurrency exchange.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ charged Sallah with four counts of wire fraud. Federal agents served Sallah with a grand jury subpoena for company records related to the HSS program in November 2025, though Sallah fled the U.S. to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n<p>Khalid Ahmed Satary and Emylee Thai were added to the FBI\u2019s\u00a0 \u201cMost Wanted Fraudsters\u201d list Tuesday for their alleged involvement in healthcare fraud schemes, FBI Director Kash Patel announced. Satary was allegedly involved in a $547 million healthcare fraud conspiracy tied to a genetic testing scheme. He is believed to be hiding in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p>Thai\u2019s laboratory allegedly billed Medicare roughly $142 million for genetic testing and allegedly successfully pocketed about $95 million on those claims.<\/p>\n<p>About $350 million in cash left the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on flights to foreign countries, Minnesota-based Fox 9 reported in March. Lawmakers voiced concerns that some of the money leaving the U.S. was tied to fraud, though investigations were still ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact\u00a0licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2451\">Trump\u2019s Religious Liberty Commission Eyes Changes To Conscience Rights For Healthcare Workers, US Military<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst will introduce legislation to require alleged fraudsters who are potential flight risks to surrender their passports before bail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[39,2684,135,2685],"class_list":["post-2457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-crime","tag-flight-risks","tag-fraud","tag-joni-ernst"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>EXCLUSIVE: Joni Ernst Introducing Bill To Yank Passports From Fraudsters Accused Of Swindling Taxpayers - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=2457\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EXCLUSIVE: Joni Ernst Introducing Bill To Yank Passports From Fraudsters Accused Of Swindling Taxpayers - Home Transfer Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican Iowa Sen. 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