Plans are being made at the state capitol after federal investigators accused two Minnesota autism centers of fraud and raided their offices Thursday.

Gov. Tim Walz called Thursday for Minnesota to increase criminal penalties for Medicaid fraud in response to the FBI’s investigation into autism service providers. The FBI searched at least two Minnesota autism centers Thursday as it investigated “substantial evidence” of fraudulent Medicaid claims made by many companies participating in the state program.

The FBI raided autism treatment centers in Minneapolis and St. Cloud for alleged fraud, and tie them to the Feeding Our Future case.

The two companies in Minneapolis and St. Cloud allegedly stole millions in fraud money through government-funded programs in recent years.

They took taxpayer dollars to care for vulnerable children, but investigators say they pocketed that cash instead. The FBI secured and seized boxes of evidence from two autism centers Thursday. We're learning these raids are connected to another massive fraud case.

FBI agents on Thursday raided two autism centers in Minnesota in connection with an investigation into suspected Medicaid fraud.

Federal law enforcement suspects many autism centers are billing the state for services not actually provided to young Minnesotans with autism spectrum disorder.