A second Democrat-run state has been hit by accusations of fraud within the Somali community, prompting a vile response from one lawmaker who was quizzed about it by a constituent.
As Minnesota grapples with one of the biggest fraud scandals in US history, a whistleblower in Maine has now stepped forward alleging state taxpayers have been defrauded out of funds meant for social services.
Christopher Bernardini told NewsNation he worked as a ‘billing guru’ for Portland-based Gateway Community Services for seven years until April 2025 – while they were allegedly defrauding Maine’s Medicaid program.
The company’s founder and CEO, Abdullahi Ali, is a Somali-American who ran for president of Jubaland, a state in Somalia, last year while juggling his role as executive director.
He came under fire at the time amid reports from The Maine Wire that he had boasted of funding the militia to ‘help the troops buy weapons, bullets and food’ while he was in America.
The comments sparked concerns about whether any of the $28.8million in payments his LLC received via MaineCare had been misappropriated.
The Daily Mail has contacted Gateway Community Services for comment.
Ali wrote on X: ‘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. America is a nation of laws—you cannot change facts by fabricating false stories. I am proud Somali-American.’
Hellbound and Down 