Red State Somali Group Caught Receiving Millions In Taxpayer Dollars

Following public outrage over alleged daycare fraud tied to Minnesota’s Somali community, Vice President J.D. Vance announced the Justice Department would create a new assistant attorney general post focused on rooting out fraud in Minnesota, Ohio and California. That effort may soon collide with a little-known nonprofit in central Ohio that has pulled in more than $1 million in taxpayer money while operating under a financial structure that experts say raises red flags.

The organization, the UNIK Foundation, is a private foundation led by a single board member who also pays himself more than $100,000 a year. Its tax filings show no outside audits, no independent accountants and broad categories of spending labeled simply as “other expenses,” with no vendors or contractors identified.

The foundation says its mission is to help immigrant convicts avoid reoffending by providing job placement and housing assistance. Its founder, however, also owns for-profit companies that offer those same services. All of the entities operate out of a single office building that houses a web of immigration-focused nonprofits that have collectively received more than $11 million in public funding.

There is no allegation of criminal wrongdoing, and no proof of illegality is presented here. But the foundation’s structure and bookkeeping practices could warrant closer scrutiny from investigators now tasked with policing fraud tied to public dollars.

Formed in 2019, the UNIK Foundation received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services in September 2023 for its “New American Anti-Recidivism Program.” The grant was intended to support services for “immigrants, refugees, new Americans, and BIPOC individuals” incarcerated in or recently released from prisons in the Columbus area.

Federal records show about $800,000 of that grant has already been paid out for services that include case management, substance abuse counseling, vocational training, mental health care and housing assistance.

The mission itself is not unusual. Under the Joe Biden administration, billions of dollars have flowed to nonprofits claiming to address crime, addiction and homelessness in immigrant communities. What stands out is how UNIK is organized.

Unlike most government-funded nonprofits, UNIK is registered as a private foundation, a structure typically reserved for organizations supported by a single donor. Public charities organized under section 501(c)(3) are far more common among groups that rely on government funding.

UNIK has also received nearly $300,000 from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, $150,000 from the City of Columbus and $50,000 from the Columbus City Council.

Private foundations are required to publicly disclose their donors. UNIK’s 2024 Form 990-PF shows more than $750,000 in revenue, yet Schedule B lists only a single $50,000 contribution from the City of Columbus. Federal grant records suggest the foundation should have disclosed far more.

The foundation’s lone board member is Dr. Hanad Duale, a scientist and educator well known in Columbus’ Somali community. Tax filings show Duale is also the sole bookkeeper, operating from what appears to be a residential address. No outside accountants or paid tax preparers are listed, and the preparer signature line on UNIK’s 990-PF forms has been left blank each year.

Duale is also the foundation’s only named employee, earning $139,000 annually plus benefits. He reports working 80 hours per week.

Despite receiving funds from multiple levels of government, there is no public record of UNIK ever undergoing an audit. Federal rules require an audit when an organization spends more than $750,000 in federal funds in a year. UNIK’s 2024 filing lists $731,880 in revenue not clearly attributed to federal grants, a figure just below that threshold, even though federal records indicate higher payouts.

In 2024, nearly half of UNIK’s reported expenses went to salaries and benefits. Another $346,529 was listed as “other expenses,” with vague descriptions such as “operation cost” and “other expenses,” again without naming vendors or contractors.

Duale earned his doctorate in the United Kingdom and later worked in academia in Kentucky and Ohio. He also founded several businesses over the years, including consulting, software, and health care management firms.

In 2022, he incorporated two new companies in Ohio: UNIK Logistiks and UNIK Housing.

UNIK Logistiks received three Small Business Administration loans totaling $810,000 between 2023 and 2024. The company bills itself as a “second chance employer” with “over 7000 CDL certified, experienced drivers.” Department of Transportation records list just four drivers and four trucks authorized for limited intrastate deliveries.

Despite the funding, the company’s website features nonfunctional booking tools, stock photos and a voicemail-only phone number.

UNIK Housing, which markets itself as recovery housing for addicts, has not received federal funding. Its website appears largely unfinished and relies heavily on generic stock images.

Taken together, the foundation’s stated mission overlaps directly with the services offered by Duale’s for-profit businesses.

UNIK and its related companies operate out of 1925 E. Dublin-Granville Road in Columbus. The same address appears on grant paperwork for several other immigration nonprofits.

Community Refugee and Immigration Services has received more than $2 million in federal grants and $6.3 million from Ohio. The Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio has received $1.2 million in federal funding. The address is also home to HAVOYOCO and AfriNetwork, smaller nonprofits focused on poverty issues in Africa and immigrant communities. Duale lists himself as HAVOYOCO’s director of urban economic development.

Altogether, at least seven nonprofits or affiliated entities tied to the building have received roughly $11.6 million in public funding.

There is no evidence of illegal activity by the UNIK Foundation or its affiliates. But the overlapping roles, opaque bookkeeping and concentration of taxpayer dollars under one roof are likely to draw interest from investigators charged with ensuring public funds are used as intended.

At minimum, the situation underscores why federal and state officials say greater transparency and oversight are needed as billions continue to flow to nonprofits operating in the immigration and reentry space.

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