On Tuesday, federal prosecutors took action against a home health care agency in Maine that allegedly submitted nearly $48 million in bills to MaineCare.
A federal grand jury indicted Community Home Health Care LLC, based in South Portland, along with its owner, Noora Abd, and five of its employees. The indictment claims that over $600,000 of the billed amount was fraudulent, leading to the arrest of all six individuals.
According to the prosecutors, the accused submitted false Electronic Visit Verifications for a MaineCare client, referred to as “Client 1.” From 2020 onward, MaineCare allegedly paid Community Home Health over $600,000 for this client’s care. However, the agency later reversed about $35,000 of those payments.
In connection with the investigation, agents seized approximately $116,854 in cash from a safe in Biddeford, along with $53,768.85 in Augusta. Interestingly, Community Home Health has billed MaineCare more than any other home health care provider in the state. Established in 2016, the agency reportedly received nearly $48 million from MaineCare between 2019 and 2025, as per the Maine Wire.
The state had suspended its billing on June 30, as noted in the same report.
During a prior visit by the Maine Wire to Community’s office above a gym in South Portland, the staff maintained that the business operated legitimately.
Prosecutors allege that the fraud scheme was executed quite simply. Mohammed Alkhalaf, a personal support specialist for Community, allegedly accessed the Electronic Visit Verifications system using the login credentials of his co-defendants and an unnamed individual. The defendants supposedly shared access to log their fabricated visit times.
Moreover, Abd and Faysal Kalayaf Manahe reportedly became aware of the federal investigation approximately on June 23. They allegedly encouraged a witness to avoid cooperating with law enforcement and to provide misleading information if questioned.
When contacted at his home in Augusta, Alkhalaf allegedly stated he had never reported care hours for anyone other than himself.
Each of the six individuals, along with Community Home Health, faces charges related to a conspiracy in health care fraud, which could result in a decade-long prison sentence. Abd and Manahe are also facing obstruction charges, while Alkhalaf has a charge for making false statements.
Interestingly, Manahe has prior experience with federal court. He operates Decent Health Care in Augusta, which billed MaineCare over $4.8 million in 2025. Following credible evidence of billing for unprovided services, the state suspended Decent Health Care’s billing that same June. The outlets have revealed that Manahe is an Iraqi immigrant.
In 2022, the Justice Department charged Manahe and three other home-care managers with conspiring to fix wages for personal support workers, though a jury acquitted them in 2023.
This case falls under a task force linked to the Trump administration, created in response to threats against the American people. Numerous agencies, including the FBI and IRS, collaborated with Maine’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit on this investigation.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson emphasized the seriousness of health care fraud, stating, “If you take from our health care system for your own gain, you will be shut down and held accountable.”
An attorney representing Alkhalaf declined to comment, and responses from the other defendants’ attorneys were not immediately available.
