Somalia’s ambassador to the U.N., Abukar Dahir Othman, has connections to a home health care provider in Ohio that has previously faced allegations of Medicaid fraud, according to Jim O’Neill, a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He noted, “There’s public speculation which I can confirm: Ambassador Othman is associated with Progressive Healthcare Services, a Cincinnati agency.”
O’Neill went on to say that HHS had acted against Progressive for its involvement in Medicaid fraud. However, detailed information about those allegations or what actions were taken hasn’t been disclosed by O’Neill or HHS.
Osman’s connection to Progressive has gained attention online, especially following a recent fraud scandal involving Minnesota’s Somali community. This scandal included a fake organization that fraudulently collected taxpayer funds meant for vulnerable populations.
A LinkedIn screenshot indicated that Osman held the position of “managing director” at Progressive from 2014 to May 2019, which coincides with his role as Somalia’s permanent representative in New York.
Furthermore, reports suggest that Osman’s health care business shared office space with another company and that several other businesses with Somali names were located at the same address. Public records indicate he was the “president and CEO” of Progressive, which was established in 2009 as a home health care provider.
In a rather curious turn, when I placed a call to Progressive’s office number listed in public records, a private individual, totally unrelated to the company, answered. He seemed a bit frustrated, stating that he had received numerous calls about Progressive and hinted that he might need to change his phone number due to the influx of inquiries.
Osman hasn’t provided any comments to the media. Recently, O’Neill took steps to freeze “all child care payments to Minnesota” amid the ongoing fraud investigation in the state. Following this, HHS has paused childcare funding to all states as an inquiry takes shape.
