A former Minneapolis-area prosecutor is facing a slew of criminal charges after allegedly submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid out of a commercial sex house she had transformed into an assisted living facility.

Andrea Leigh Sampson was charged with 13 counts of promoting prostitution and 13 counts of generating profits from commercial prostitution as part of a sprawling sex trafficking case involving several other individuals implicated in the conspiracy.

Hennepin County officials announced the 26 felony charges on Monday against Sampson, formerly a prosecutor in the neighboring Anoka County Attorney’s Office, alleging that she created a patchwork of shell companies to funnel profits from the Twin Cities sex trafficking ring between 2020 and 2026, all while she worked for the county government as an assistant attorney.

Minnesota Secretary of State records indicate that Sampson was also the operator of various ventures including City Luxury Housing LLC, Top Goods LLC, and Reeves Investment LLC.

Sampson, 35, was allegedly at one point a prostitute herself pimped out by the operation’s ringleader, 57-year-old Frank Devon Reeves. Investigators say the two became lovers, and Sampson wanted to get married soon since she was “not in trouble.” Retrieved text messages show Reeves responded, “We can’t get married with you in jail … I’m just playing … Baby I have things to do.”

The charged co-conspirators are also accused of defrauding the state out of more than $1.5 million in Medicaid funds.

Police affidavit statements say law enforcement learned that Sampson, Reeves, and another woman, 30-year-old Viktoriya Komonash, have also been operating assisted living sites and an autism services center through which they were collecting money in addition to the commercial sex operation.

According to a 20-page criminal complaint filed in a separate but connected case, Sampson owned a commercial sex house in downtown Minneapolis that she converted into and subsequently marketed as a senior assistance facility called Homefelt Assisted Living.

HOW MINNESOTA’S SOMALI FRAUD INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX HAS STOLEN MILLIONS FROM MEDICAID

Of the three addresses associated with Homefelt Assisted Living, which billed Medicaid over $500,000, two of those houses have been identified by victims and surveillance officers in the investigation as commercial sex sites. Minnesota business registration records show Sampson listed as the owner of Homefelt Assisted Living, with an office address in Las Vegas.

Investigators say they discovered properties in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, and St. Louis Park — all owned by Sampson — that were used to photograph victims for sexual advertisements posted on a sexual soliciatation website, Minnesota Erotica.

When investigators raided Reva Autism Center, another site Sampson allegedly had ownership interest in, there were over a dozen children there. According to witness statements, a victim told Komonash she no longer wanted to be a sex worker and Komonash accordingly offered her a job as a “provider for kids” at Reva Autism Center.

A fourth defendant, 30-year-old Salman Ahmed Elmi, remains held on felony theft charges filed by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Unit alleging that his mental health care company, Reva Health, had fraudulently billed the state’s Medicaid program for more than $1 million in bogus services. Reeves allegedly was also the co-owner of Reva Health.

Charging documents say Reeves sent text messages to Elmi that he was going to make them rich “real quick you don’t even know how many connections I’ve been putting together” and “I’m smiling because I’m going to take over this whole state.”

In another text about acquiring healthcare-related clients, Reeves allegedly asked Elmi if they “have United healthcare,” referring to coverage under UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurance company by revenue and enrollment with headquarters in nearby Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Investigators say that following a “Yes” from Elmi, Reeves replied, “Beautiful we have another client.”

Reeves and Elmi also allegedly both have a house in Costa Rica. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records cited by police, Elmi has boarded eight different flights to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose since January 2024. Reeves, per prosecutors, also traveled out of the country frequently.