In San Diego, California, twelve immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Sudan face charges for a fraudulent scheme exceeding $10 million that falsely promised home day care services for low-income families while illegally siphoning off taxpayer funds for themselves.
“Today is a bad day for home daycare fraud,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon stated during a Tuesday press conference. “These are the first charges of this nature since the establishment of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. These individuals may have manipulated the system before, but now, it’s over.”
Among the defendants, who are a mix of naturalized citizens and green card holders, are:
- Fosiya Mohamoud, 50, Somalia
- Abdulrahman Alawad, 25, Syria
- Zetun Abdi, 43, Somalia
- Ikramullah Mohmmand, 25, Afghanistan
- Khetam Haouash, 37, Syria
- Khatera Hashimi, 39, Afghanistan
- Mariam Khamis, 42, Sudan
- Mohamad Alawad, 29, Syria
- Mazin Alawad, 22, Syria
- Turkiya Alawad, 63, Syria
- Zaryab Daudzai, 25, Afghanistan
- Cezar Yaqoob, 36, Iraq
Federal prosecutors claim the defendants obtained California licenses to run home daycare facilities that were never actually intended to operate. Instead, they allegedly pocketed the taxpayer money designated for these daycare services.
WATCH — DOJ Anti-Fraud Chief Colin McDonald Discusses Taxpayer Theft:
One example involves Abdulrahman Alawad, who reported to the state that he provided childcare for 23 children in March and 25 in April of this year. However, federal surveillance indicated that he only had kids in his care on a single day during those months—specifically, the day when a state inspector visited his daycare.
Similarly, Turkiya Alawad informed the state that she had taken care of children in January 2024, but prosecutors argue that she was not even in the U.S. during that time.
In total, officials say each of the defendants profited between $538,000 and $1.2 million from the fraudulent activities, with Abdulrahman Alawad reportedly making over $300,000 from the scheme in 2025.
