Burleigh County (trfnews.i234.me) — A shocking financial fraud case has erupted out of Bismarck, North Dakota, as Isaac Osei Afoakwa, 55, faces 12 federal charges in what the Department of Justice calls the “biggest Health Care Fraud Takedown” in U.S. history.
Afoakwa, who once ran for Bismarck mayor and operates Grace Action Chapel International, allegedly funneled over $1.6 million into personal bank accounts from 34 Paycheck Protection Program loans and eight Economic Injury Disaster Loans, according to court records.
He’s charged with:
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6 counts of wire fraud for misdirecting COVID relief funds
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1 count of aggravated identity theft involving a victim identified as “B.O.”
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2 counts of tax fraud, with underreported income totaling over $600,000
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3 counts of false statements tied to Medicaid reimbursements through his business, Bismarck Transportation Services
Court filings allege Medicaid payments were obtained for transport services that never occurred, including for incarcerated individuals, and that vehicle costs were fraudulently inflated.
In a Facebook livestream after his June 10 arrest, Afoakwa made no mention of the charges but told followers, “God will vindicate us.”
His federal trial begins Nov. 4 in Bismarck.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.