Maine’s Medicaid program bilked out of millions of dollars in Somali fraud, whistleblower claims
Maine’s Medicaid program was scoured for millions of dollars in questionable payments by a contractor linked to a Somali‑born founder who last year ran for political office back home, a whistleblower says. The Portland‑based agency Gateway Community Services has been compared to Minnesota’s $1 billion fraud case, which has resulted in criminal charges against members of that state’s Somali community.
Christopher Bernardini, who managed programs at Gateway from May 2018 to April 2025, told NewsNation that the firm billed the state for work that never happened and used false paperwork to cover it up. “I just couldn’t fathom it — I thought we were helping people; I thought this was all on the up‑and‑up,” he said, adding that he had moved to Florida. “I have a passion for helping people, and I thought that we were doing the right thing this whole time.”
Gateway had an agreement with MaineCare to serve seniors, disabled residents and low‑income families. On its website the organization advertises that it “helps people navigate care, understand insurance and safety net programs, and access essentials like housing and food,” and that it also “provides workforce support, helping individuals identify employment opportunities, training, and certifications to build skills for stability and long‑term wellbeing.” According to Bernardini, the agency tampered with a GPS‑based system that tracked field staff, claiming visits that never occurred. “I had clients calling me to tell me their staff hadn’t shown up and I was told to bill those hours to MaineCare anyway,” the former coordinator explained. “It just got worse and worse until I started really putting up a stink.”
State investigators had already flagged the firm, uncovering a $776,000 overpayment to Gateway in 2017–2018. Bernardini says the fraud escalated after COVID‑19, when the federal government rolled out vast PPP and other relief programs. Over the past five years, Gateway allegedly received $28.8 million from MaineCare, according to records from The Maine Wire.
Bernardini first alerted the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General in April 2024, only to learn the issue fell outside federal jurisdiction. He then filed a tip with the Maine auditor’s office, which asked for more documentation months later. In the spring he was let go by Gateway. Two months after his dismissal, the auditor’s office sent him a message asking whether he had “communicated with any Federal agencies about this issue with Gateway Community Services LLC.”
Founder Abdullahi Ali—born in Somalia, raised in a Kenyan refugee camp before settling in Maine—ran for president of the Somali region of Jubaland last year. In response to the investigative coverage he posted on X, Ali defended his efforts in Maine: “I make no apologies for building a successful business in Maine, working hard to earn a living, earning my PhD, giving back to my Maine community, and running for office in Jubaland,” he wrote. “I am proud to contribute my hard‑earned $ to support my people back home. America is a nation of laws—you cannot change facts by fabricating false stories. I am proud Somali‑American.”
The Post reached out to Gateway employees and to Gov. Janet Mills’ office for comments. “The Mills Administration has neglected obvious and credible reports of Somali‑linked systemic fraud in the MaineCare system,” said Maine GOP state Sen. Matt Harrington, accusing the state of betraying taxpayers.
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