Politics
NEW: Somalia’s UN Ambassador Linked To Ohio Fraud Scheme
Abukar Dahir Osman, the permanent representative of Somalia to the United Nations, has been linked to a home healthcare agency in Cincinnati, Ohio that was previously prosecuted for Medicaid fraud. The questionable connection was highlighted by officials with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Public records indicate that Osman served as the President and CEO of Progressive Health Care Services when it was established in 2009, and his LinkedIn profile lists him as Managing Director from 2014 until May 2019. This period overlaps with his appointment as Somalia’s UN ambassador, which began around 2017, according to a report from the New York Post.
Osman also worked as a supervisor in the Adult Medicaid unit at the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services in Ohio from 2007 to 2012, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest since his company’s fraud conviction occurred while he had prior involvement in the state’s Medicaid system.
Progressive Health Care Services was convicted in 2022 of defrauding Medicaid out of $7.2 million through improper claims submitted over multiple years, leading to its exclusion from federal healthcare programs for a minimum of five years under the HHS Office of Inspector General’s guidelines. The conviction stemmed from a federal court prosecution in Ohio involving a multiyear investigation into fraudulent billing practices, though specific details on the exact nature of the fraud have not been released to the public as of this report.
Osman has served as Somalia’s permanent ambassador to the UN since 2017
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill confirmed Osman’s association with the company in an X post on Monday. “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,” he said.
O’Neill further suggested that investigations are ongoing, stating, “more to come.”
While Osman has not been personally charged or convicted in connection with the fraud, the revelations have sparked scrutiny amid ongoing federal investigations into similar schemes involving Somali nationals.
Ohio-based attorney Mehek Cooke recently alleged widespread Medicaid fraud within the Somali community, claiming that for over a decade, individuals have exploited loopholes by pressuring clinicians to approve unnecessary home healthcare services for family members. This, Cooke has claimed, resulted in fraudulent payments of up to $60,000 per person annually, with fraudsters coached to lie about disabilities.
Cooke estimated millions defrauded and noted that 99% of such approvals involved unqualified recipients, drawing parallels to similar schemes in Minnesota that have drawn nationwide attention.
