2 Minneapolis Day Care Operators Charged With Overbilling

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two operators of a Minneapolis child care company have been charged with overbilling the state by just over $100,000.

Fifty-one-year-old Abdirazik Gayre, of Minneapolis, the owner of Minnesota Child Care Services, and 53-year-old Ibrahim Osman of New Hope, the assistant director, were each charged Friday with theft by swindle.

The criminal complaint says searches of three day care centers and bank records show they billed the state's Child Care Assistance program for at least 1,673 more children than they served over a six-month period. And it says kickbacks were paid to keep parents from reporting fraudulent billing.

The two men are due in court April 26. Osman says he didn't want to comment until he hired an attorney. Numbers listed for Gayre were not taking messages Saturday.