A 74-year-old social worker from St. Paul pleaded not guilty to federal Medicaid fraud charges tied to alleged $7.7 million in false claims connected to autism services billed across more than a dozen Minnesota providers. Prosecutors allege Ravits made false certifications on treatment plans.
Ravits was charged Oct. 22 with conspiracy to defraud the United States and six counts of making false statements related to health care matters, according to Becker’s Behavioral Health. Prosecutors say Ravits worked as a social worker from St. Paul and served as a qualified supervising professional for several autism services providers across the state. KARE 11 reported that she pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege she made false certifications on autism treatment plans and that some services billed in the case were not performed or properly reimbursable.
Texts Allegedly Show Ravits Knew Risk Was Rising
According to KARE 11’s reporting, prosecutors point to text messages in which Ravits allegedly told a co-conspirator she needed to see the billing under her own name because she was the one responsible for it. In another message cited by the station, she reportedly wrote in 2025 that she was tightening things up because federal authorities would quickly target high billers. One clinic paid Ravits $2,400 per month, the station reported, though the indictment does not specify a dollar figure for her personal enrichment.
Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit, known as EIDBI, is the Medicaid program at the center of the case. It covers medically necessary services for people under 21 with autism spectrum disorder or related conditions, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and includes individual treatment plan development and monitoring.
Attorney Pushes Back on Prosecutors’ Framing
Ravits’s attorney told KARE 11 that she is warm and loving and has worked in social work for decades, describing her as someone who believed in helping children rather than generating profit. The attorney also said Ravits owned no facilities and was merely an employee…