Tag: welfare

Rep. Brandon Gill Vows Accountability as Oversight Committee Task Force Launches Investigation into BILLIONS of Dollars in Ohio Medicaid Fraud

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) announced last week that his team on the House Oversight Committee is going to tear a newly uncovered Ohio-based Medicaid fraud scheme down “piece by piece.” 

Gill was tapped this month to chair the Oversight Committee’s new Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, where he’s planning to uncover billions of dollars in fraud.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars of your tax money is being wasted in an Ohio Medicaid scheme that we’re uncovering on the House Oversight Committee. We believe this scheme stretches into the billions of dollars,” Gill said in a clip shared on X on Friday. “The Ohio Medicaid Agency had years to figure this out. A reporter did it in just a couple months, and we’re building on their work.”

“We’re saving you taxpayer dollars, and we’re ending fraud on my task force at the House Oversight Committee,” he added.

“Fraudsters stole hundreds of millions of your tax dollars through an Ohio Medicaid scandal. My GOP Oversight Task Force is pulling this scheme apart piece by piece,” Gill wrote on X.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Prohibitionist Lawsuit Challenging Medicare CBD Program

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit led by Smart Approaches to Marijuana challenging the Trump administration’s Medicare-linked CBD program, finding the plaintiffs failed to show they had standing to bring the case.

Judge Trevor N. McFadden, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, dismissed the case Friday, finding that SAM, MMJ International Holdings, its subsidiaries and the other plaintiffs failed to meet the basic requirement needed to sue in federal court.

SAM and its allies had asked the court to halt a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program connected to hemp-derived CBD access for certain Medicare patients. The challenge had been placed on an expedited track after the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint and again asked for emergency court intervention.

“Each claims an injury too abstract or too remote to open the courtroom doors,” McFadden wrote.

Rather than weighing the broader legal claims raised in the lawsuit, McFadden said the case could not proceed because the plaintiffs did not establish Article III standing.

“At the outset, the Court notes that it need not tackle the bulk of questions that Plaintiffs raise in their motions,” McFadden wrote. “That is because Plaintiffs’ case suffers from a fatal flaw: the failure to establish Article III standing to bring their claims. The Court addresses only this jurisdictional hole and will dismiss the entire suit and deny Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction as moot.”

Because of that finding, the court did not rule on whether the plaintiffs were entitled to a preliminary injunction. McFadden instead concluded that the alleged harms outlined by the plaintiffs were not concrete enough to keep the lawsuit alive.

The case was brought by SAM, allied prohibitionist organizations, individual activists and MMJ International Holdings, a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical company. The plaintiffs claimed the program raised legal and public health concerns, but McFadden found their alleged injuries were too distant from the policy to support federal jurisdiction.

The decision is a major loss for opponents of the Medicare-linked CBD policy, which has drawn attention as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to expand medical marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) research and access.

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Indicted Minnesota Fraudster Muhammad Omar Captured After Jumping Off Balcony and Fleeing Amid $90 Million Bust

Indicted Minnesota fraudster Muhammad Omar was captured two hours after he jumped off a 4-story balcony and fled.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced new indictments against 15 Minnesota fraudsters in a ‘shocking’ $90 million bust during a press conference on its efforts to crack down on fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald made the announcement after Aimee Bock, the convicted mastermind behind the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal, was sentenced to 41.5 years in federal prison.

“Today, we are announcing criminal charges against 15 defendants in Minnesota for fraud schemes that targeted over $90 million in taxpayer dollars,” Colin McDonald said.

“This is the beginning of our work in Minnesota. The fraud here in Minnesota is shocking,” he added.

One of the indicted fraudsters, identified as Muhammad Omar, jumped out of a 4-story building and fled.

“Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar, 32, was charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud in connection with a scheme to submit $3.3 million in fraudulent claims to the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) Program of Minnesota Medicaid, of which approximately $3.2 million was paid,” the DOJ said.

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Senator John Kennedy Reveals That California’s Medicaid System Will Pay for EXORCISMS

Apparently, the state of California cares about the health of your soul.

During a recent hearing, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana revealed that in California, the state will reimburse a provider for exorcisms. Yes, really.

Even if you are a person of faith who believes the forces of darkness are real, you would probably have trouble buying the idea that this should be covered by a state’s Medicaid system.

Wouldn’t you love to know how many of these are covered in a year?

FOX News reports:

Taxpayer spending on ‘exorcisms’ derails Senate testimony: ‘What the hell are we doing about it?’

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., railed against California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, which is facing scrutiny from the Trump administration over fraud allegations, as Kennedy highlighted reports during a Tuesday hearing that the state covers exorcisms and other faith-based healing practices.

Medi-Cal’s spending practices have faced growing scrutiny as California’s Medicaid spending has more than doubled since 2019, rising from roughly $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion in 2026.

Just last week, the Trump administration suspended $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs after Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force identified an estimated $600 million in suspected fraud within the state’s Medicaid system.

Kennedy alleged during his line of questioning to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that taxpayer dollars were being used to cover the cost of exorcisms, a religious practice most commonly associated with the Catholic Church, and other indigenous spiritual practices.

“California’s got 12% of the population in the last 10 years,” Kennedy told Blanche. “They’re responsible for half of these new so-called health providers to provide exorcisms and other things. Now, what the hell are we doing about it? Why has this gone on for so long?”

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Minnesota ‘Feeding Our Future’ Somali Fraud Mastermind Aimee Bock Sentenced to Over 41 Years in Prison

Aimee Bock, the convicted mastermind behind the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal, has been sentenced to 41.5 years in federal prison.

The sentencing, handed down Thursday, was over her role in a massive scheme that fraudulently billed taxpayers for tens of millions of meals that were never provided to low-income children during the pandemic.

The fraud was centered in Minnesota’s large Somali community and involved dozens of defendants.

Bock, who founded Feeding Our Future, was convicted in March 2025 on multiple counts, including conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud. She had been the central figure coordinating the operation that exploited relaxed federal rules during the COVID-19 emergency.

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House Oversight Officially Launches Full-Blown Investigation Into Massive Ohio Medicaid Fraud Scheme Allegedly Tied to Somali Networks — Rep. Brandon Gill: “Billions of Dollars” Stolen From Taxpayers

The House Oversight Committee is officially turning up the heat on what could become one of the largest Medicaid fraud scandals in American history.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer and Rep. Brandon Gill have launched a sweeping federal investigation into alleged rampant abuse of Ohio’s Medicaid system after explosive reports revealed suspicious billing patterns centered around two ZIP codes near Columbus, Ohio, an area home to one of the largest Somali populations in the United States.

According to reports cited by House Republicans, a state audit found that Franklin County, home to just 11.5% of Ohio’s population, accounted for roughly 38% to 40% of the $1.6 billion spent statewide, with nearly 40% of that amount flowing to just two neighboring ZIP codes, totaling approximately $240 million.

Auditors also identified a 15.6% error rate in eligibility determinations, raising concerns that improper payments could range from $800 million to as much as $4 billion.

Additional reporting uncovered nearly vacant office buildings allegedly housing hundreds of billing companies. Ohio officials have since brought charges against some providers and maintain that safeguards are in place, while both state investigators and a federal task force continue to examine the potential fraud.

The Oversight Committee announced a brand-new task force specifically aimed at exposing institutional abuses, fraud, and misuse of taxpayer-funded social welfare programs, with Gill tapped to lead the charge.

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Christopher Rufo Says California Fraud Is Stealing Taxpayer Money on a Scale That Makes Minnesota Look Like ‘Child’s Play’

The fraud scandal that resulted in billions being stolen from American taxpayers in Minnesota is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fraud on a national scale, a conservative author and activist said in a podcast released Wednesday.

And while revelations about Minnesota’s scandal ended the political career of Gov. Tim Walz, another Democratic governor making national headlines is far worse, the Manhattan Institute’s Christopher Rufo said.

“The scale of it in the state of California is just another level entirely,” he said, according to the New York Post. In fact, he said, it makes Minnesota’s massive fraud look like “child’s play.”

Rufo was speaking on “Pod Force One,” a podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.

Minnesota’s fraud has been largely centered in the state’s large Somali community. But in Newsom’s California, the potential for theft has attracted a global element.

“Individuals from all walks of life, all nationalities, even all parts of the country have recognized that the California government is essentially open to business for fraud schemes,” Rufo said, according to the New York Post report.

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Multiple States Begin Ejecting Illegal Immigrants From Subsidized Healthcare

The political left often betrays their true agenda in the legislation they choose to oppose.  The SAVE Act, for example, would require proof of citizenship to vote in US elections; a law which the majority of countries around the world enforce.  It’s widely supported by around 80% of the public, yet, Democrats stubbornly refuse to pass it.  

Why?  Because they know there are illegal immigrants voting in their favor, and they know that mail-in ballot fraud exists and often benefits them. 

By extension, Democrats aggressively attempted to block Trump Administration efforts to ensure that illegal immigrants could not receive healthcare subsidies.  Their argument was that “no illegals actually access those subsidies”.  Of course, if this was true, then it should not matter if Trump adds such restrictions – According to Dems, nothing would change.

In reality, progressive politicians know that around 1.4 million “asylum seekers” (illegal immigrants who entered the country under Biden’s open border policies and then took advantage of the system) were on the healthcare rolls at the end of 2024.  They also know that by offering welfare programs to illegals, they are buying the future loyalty of those migrants (as well as keeping them in the country to rig the census in favor of blue states).   

Today, this loophole is being rectified by a number of states that are now requiring proof of citizenship in order to qualify for public healthcare programs.  You would think this is common sense, but Democrats and some medical institutions are not happy with the changes. 

Hospitals across the state of Tennessee say they are receiving notice from the Department of Health requiring them to verify the citizenship status of everyone enrolled in public benefit programs. 

Opponents to the reforms say this includes Children’s Special Services, which provides access to care for children from birth to 21 years of age.  The process for disenrolling kids 18 to 21 has already begun, and there is a process underway to disenroll kids zero to 17. 

It is a typical Democrat tactic to target and isolate a single “vulnerable” group and use them to justify the existence of welfare benefits for all foreigners.  You don’t want to steal that wheelchair away from little Pedro or snatch life saving medicine away from poor innocent Gabriela, right?  It is also the case than many of these healthcare providers stand to lose millions in government subsidized payments if migrants are kicked off the rolls. 

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JD Vance Exposes $15 Million in Medicaid Theft by Single Migrant in Maine

Vice President JD Vance exposed the theft of $15 million in Medicaid funding committed by a single migrant in Maine during a visit to Bangor on Thursday.

“Fraud is exactly what happens when you’ve got a government that is not fighting for the American people but is fighting for fraudsters and illegal aliens. And it has to stop. And under the Trump administration, we are fighting it every single day,” Vance said speaking to a packed hanger at an event to boost former Gov. Paul LePage’s bid for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

Vance, who called the State of Maine the “bronze medalist” in fraud after California and Minnesota, went on to say that LePage highlighted the fraud, but then-Democrat Attorney General Janet Mills refused to prosecute such cases.

The Ohioan pointed to just one case where a migrant billed the state for millions to provide “interpreter services” for illegal aliens, but never provided any such services at all.

“Rakiya Mohamed was not a particularly upstanding citizen… she was providing zero services and collecting $15 million over a five year period that was going directly into her pocket,” Vance said.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Rakiya Mohamed, who was associated with a company called Bright Future Healthier You, fraudulently billed Medicaid for millions in services that were never provided. Mohamed was one of four who were indicted in the scheme. Others included company president Abdihamid Hassan and Abdifitah Abdi. All three are Somali migrants. A fourth employee, Asmo Dol, was also implicated, but the suspect passed away in June only a few months after she pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Rakiya Mohamed pleaded guilty in March to filing a false tax return.

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GOP Rep. Steube: Blue States ‘Perpetuating Fraud’ to Drive Up the Number of the Amount of Money for Federal Programs

During an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “The Evening Edit,” Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) explained how some blue states turned a blind eye to fraud related to federal government programs, in particular Medicaid.

The Florida Republican reacted to comments from Vice President JD Vance, who said Democrat blue states were not investigating and prosecuting fraud.

Vance explained, “The Hawaii Medicaid Program has received billions and billions of dollars from the federal taxpayers. Guess how many convictions or indictments has Hawaii had over the last few years in its Medicaid fraud program? The answer is zero. Not a single indictment, not a single conviction. That means that if you’re committing fraud in Medicaid in Hawaii, you have had effectively free reign from the government of Hawaii to commit as much fraud as you want. That is a complete disgrace. New York has had nine indictments over the last year, nine indictments. That’s a $100 billion Medicaid program just in New York. Indiana, which has about a third of the population of the state of the New York, has had more than four times as many indictments over the same period.”

According to Steube, those states were allowing fraud to drive up spending numbers for those government programs.

Host Elizabeth MacDonald said, “You see what the Vice President is saying, Congressman, that basically, blue states are not interested in discovering fraud, but red Republican states are. What’s going on here?”

Steube replied, “Yes, they’re absolutely — they are perpetuating the fraud in these Democratic states because they want to drive up the number of the amount of money that comes to those states on these federal programs. I certainly hope that, with the President and the Vice President focused on this, that the DOJ is going to look at this, and the way that we can keep this from happening is keep federal dollars from going to these states until they go after this fraud, waste and abuse that’s happening.”

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