An attorney and whistleblower says alleged large-scale welfare fraud linked to members of the Somali community is not limited to Minnesota, claiming similar schemes are occurring in Ohio based on information she says she has received from Medicaid providers.
Attorney Mehek Cooke told Fox News on Friday that she has spoken with multiple providers connected to Ohio’s Somali population who described being pressured to participate in fraudulent Medicaid practices.
Her claims come as federal investigations in Minnesota have exposed more than $1 billion in stolen taxpayer funds tied largely to that state’s sizable Somali community, drawing national attention to the issue.
According to Cooke, the alleged scheme in Ohio centers on Medicaid policies that allow individuals to receive thousands of dollars to provide home health care to family members.
She said some providers exploit those policies by fabricating or exaggerating medical conditions, while doctors approve the claims in exchange for financial benefit.
“They’re just rubberstamping a lot of these,” Cooke told Fox News.
“And then that same individual, a week later, that’s supposed to be bedridden, is all over social media, whether they’re out dancing at a party or something like that. So, the symptoms aren’t really adding up at the end of the day.”
Cooke explained that under Ohio law, individuals can become certified home health providers for relatives, a system designed to allow families to care for elderly or disabled loved ones at home.
She said that policy has been manipulated through loopholes that allow payments even when medical care is unnecessary.
“Say I want to take care of my elderly aging parents at some point,” Cooke said.
“I can become a home health provider, and this is where the Somali community has been really clever. They’ve been able to find loopholes in Ohio law to provide for care for family members, even when they don’t need it.”
Her allegations follow major federal prosecutions in Minnesota, where investigators uncovered what authorities described as one of the largest welfare fraud schemes in U.S. history.
The Minnesota cases involved alleged misuse of federal nutrition and welfare programs, with losses exceeding $1 billion in taxpayer funds.
Many of those charged in Minnesota were connected to organizations serving the Somali community, according to court records.
Cooke said those Minnesota prosecutions prompted additional individuals in other states to come forward with similar claims.
She told Fox News that Medicaid providers in Ohio contacted her after seeing the Minnesota cases unfold, saying they recognized the same patterns.
The Ohio allegations are not the first time claims of Somali-linked Medicaid fraud have surfaced outside Minnesota.
After the Department of Justice brought charges against alleged fraudsters in Minnesota, another whistleblower, Christopher Bernardini, came forward with accusations involving a Somali-owned health services contractor in Maine.
Bernardini alleged that his employer falsified records to improperly collect Medicaid funds.
Cooke said the Minnesota cases represent only a small portion of a broader problem.
She described the fraud uncovered there as only the beginning of what may be revealed nationally.
“What we’re seeing in Minneapolis is just a snippet of what’s happening in Ohio,” Cooke said.
As of Friday, no federal charges tied to Cooke’s Ohio allegations had been announced.
Fox News reported that Cooke’s claims are based on conversations with anonymous providers, and she did not identify specific individuals or organizations involved.
Ohio officials have not publicly commented on the allegations, and it is unclear whether state or federal authorities have opened formal investigations related to the claims described by Cooke.
Medicaid fraud investigations are typically handled by state attorneys general, federal prosecutors, or joint task forces depending on the scope of the alleged misconduct.
The allegations add to ongoing scrutiny of Medicaid oversight and enforcement nationwide.
The program, which provides health coverage to millions of low-income Americans, relies heavily on state-administered systems and provider self-reporting, a structure that critics say can be vulnerable to abuse if not closely monitored.
Cooke said she believes the attention generated by the Minnesota prosecutions could encourage further whistleblowers to come forward in other states.
She told Fox News that the similarities between the alleged schemes in Minnesota, Maine, and Ohio suggest a broader pattern that warrants closer examination by law enforcement.
The Department of Justice has not commented on Cooke’s statements, and no timeline has been announced for potential action related to the Ohio allegations.
