The Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that Somalia’s top diplomat to the United Nations has ties to a health care company based in the United States that was previously targeted by federal authorities over Medicaid fraud.
“I can confirm public speculation that Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UN and President of the Security Council, is in fact associated with Progressive Health Care Services, a home health agency in Cincinnati,” O’Neill wrote. “HHS has previously taken action against Progressive in response to a conviction for Medicaid fraud.”
The disclosure followed O’Neill’s announcement in December of a nationwide federal crackdown on fraud in federally funded health and social service programs. At the time, O’Neill said Minnesota had routed millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to fraudulent daycare operations and that HHS was tightening oversight and federal payment controls.
Increased scrutiny intensified after citizen journalist Nick Shirley released a 43-minute video documenting visits to multiple Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota that appeared to be empty despite receiving state funding. Shirley’s footage showed repeated stops at subsidized facilities where no children were present.
Local outlet KSTP-TV separately reported that one facility, the Quality “Lerning” Center, accumulated 95 violations cited by a state agency between 2019 and 2023.
As federal prosecutors pursued multiple fraud cases in Minnesota, several state employees accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of retaliating against whistleblowers who raised early concerns. In a written statement, the employees said they informed the governor’s office of potential fraud and sought cooperation in addressing the issue, but said they received a hostile response instead.
“Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota,” the statement said. “We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response.”
Walz has previously addressed Minnesota’s fraud challenges publicly. In an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Nov. 30, the governor said the state “attracts criminals.”
Federal investigations into alleged fraud involving daycare centers, health care providers, and other federally funded programs in Minnesota are ongoing, and officials have said additional enforcement actions may follow as part of the broader HHS crackdown.
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The plot sickens. Keep up your great reporting and articles. You’re the best.