Minnesota to Maine: Somalians accused of another mass Medicaid fraud operation in Maine

Portland, Maine – December 10, 2025

In a bombshell revelation echoing a massive $1 billion welfare fraud scandal in neighboring Minnesota, a whistleblower has accused a Somali-owned health services nonprofit in Maine of systematically bilking the state's Medicaid program out of millions in taxpayer dollars. The allegations, detailed in an exclusive interview with NewsNation, paint a picture of falsified records, unperformed services, and a company founder juggling U.S. contracts with political ambitions abroad—raising urgent questions about oversight in America's social safety net.

Christopher Bernardini, a former program coordinator and self-described "billing guru" at Gateway Community Services, came forward with claims that the Portland-based organization routinely charged MaineCare—the state's Medicaid program—for caretaker visits and support services that never materialized. "I had clients calling me to tell me their staff hadn’t shown up, and I was told to bill those hours anyway," Bernardini told NewsNation. "It just got worse and worse until I started really putting up a stink."

Bernardini, who worked at Gateway from May 2018 until April 2025 before relocating to Florida, said the fraud allegedly intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans flooded in. He described a scheme where an electronic monitoring system was manipulated to fabricate evidence of field staff visits to low-income, elderly, and disabled clients. "Never worked a shift with a client, and yet the PPP loan comes—they’re giving $2,000 away like they’re lollipops at a doctor’s office," he recounted.Gateway, founded and led by Somali-American CEO Abdullahi Ali, received a staggering $28.8 million in Medicaid reimbursements from Maine between 2017 and 2023, according to public records obtained by The Maine Wire through a Freedom of Access Act request.

State auditors had previously flagged the company for overpayments totaling $776,000 in 2017 and 2018, but Bernardini alleges the issues persisted unchecked.

The scandal's tentacles extend beyond billing irregularities. Ali, who earned a PhD in the U.S. and built Gateway into a key provider for vulnerable populations, simultaneously pursued the presidency of Jubaland—a semi-autonomous region in southern Somalia bordering Kenya. While serving as Gateway's executive director, Ali reportedly funneled personal funds to Somali elections and paramilitary groups, according to state Sen. Matt Harrington (R-Cumberland).

In a defiant X post responding to the allegations, Ali wrote: "I make no apologies for building a successful business in Maine, working hard to earn a living, earning my PhD, giving back to my Maine community, and running for office in Jubaland. I am proud to contribute my hard-earned $ to support my people back home."

Harrington, a vocal critic of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills' administration, demanded an immediate investigation on Tuesday, blasting the episode as an "outrageous betrayal of Maine taxpayers." "The Mills Administration has neglected obvious and credible reports of Somali-linked systemic fraud in the MaineCare system," he told NewsNation. "There’s clear evidence from the state, from the whistleblower, and from Ali’s own words."

Neither Mills' office nor the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes responded to multiple requests for comment.The Maine allegations arrive amid a national reckoning with similar fraud in Minnesota's Somali community, where federal prosecutors have charged dozens in what former Attorney General Merrick Garland called "the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme" in U.S. history. That case, involving over $1 billion in diverted social services funds—some allegedly funneled to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab—has spurred ICE raids in Minneapolis and accusations of whistleblower retaliation against Gov. Tim Walz.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) praised the NewsNation reporting and vowed to probe potential interstate patterns, telling reporters Tuesday that the schemes appear "very organized" and span programs like SNAP and housing assistance.

Adding fuel to the fire, the scandal has ensnared three Somali-American state representatives—Reps. Deqa Dhalac, Yusuf Yusuf, and Mana Abdi—who recently condemned former President Donald Trump in a high-profile rebuke but maintained professional ties to Gateway before the allegations broke. Republican lawmakers are now demanding full transparency from the trio, with one GOP gubernatorial hopeful, Ben Midgely, decrying the "Somali-linked welfare fraud scandal" in an op-ed for The Maine Wire.

Democrats in the state have pushed back, labeling fraud concerns as racially motivated smears against immigrant communities.Bernardini first flagged the issues in April 2024, seeking whistleblower protections from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. "I work in the billing department for this agency and I have seen several things that are very questionable and could constitute fraud, waste, or even downright theft," he wrote in his complaint.

As federal and state probes loom, the case underscores broader vulnerabilities in Medicaid oversight, particularly amid Maine's growing Somali refugee population, which has enriched the state's cultural fabric but strained public resources.

MaineCare, serving over 400,000 low-income residents, remains a lifeline for the elderly, disabled, and families in need. If Bernardini's claims hold, the fraud not only eroded trust but deprived vulnerable Mainers of essential care. As investigations unfold, one thing is clear: the ripple effects of this alleged grift could reshape debates on immigration, welfare, and accountability in the Pine Tree State—and beyond. 17GEN4.com