Maine Republicans intensified their attack Tuesday over alleged MaineCare fraud tied to Gateway Community Services, warning that the case exposes systemic failures in oversight, and calling out top Democratic leaders by name for what they described as a stunning lack of accountability.
The escalation follows last week’s decision by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to suspend all MaineCare payments to Gateway Community Services LLC after determining that “there exists a credible allegation of fraud.”
At a State House press conference, Republican lawmakers said the Gateway case highlights a broken system in which more than 5,000 organizations bill MaineCare while just 22 state employees are tasked with examining fraud claims.
“I believe that what we’ve uncovered so far is only scratching the surface of fraud here in Maine,” said Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matt Harrington (R-Sanford).
Harrington then sharply criticized the state’s top leadership for their absence as the scandal unfolded.
“Where is Governor Janet Mills? Where is Speaker Ryan Fecteau? Where is the attorney general? Where is Matt Dunlap? Where is President Daughtry?” Harrington asked. “Their silence is deafening.”
While Harrington directed his remarks at state leadership, Republicans collectively also questioned why Maine’s mainstream media failed to aggressively pursue the Gateway allegations despite reporting by The Maine Wire roughly nine months before the state halted payments.
Republicans said they repeatedly sought information and accountability from DHHS during budget negotiations but were rebuffed.
According to a letter sent by DHHS to Gateway, the allegations include billing for services not rendered and billing for non-covered services. The department also notified the company that MaineCare may have overpaid more than $1 million for claims submitted between March 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022.
At Tuesday’s briefing, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham called for the removal of Deqa Delhac from the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, arguing that public confidence in budget oversight cannot be restored without decisive action.
An attorney for Gateway told Spectrum News that the company is cooperating with DHHS and has laid off employees following the suspension of state payments.
In a December 12 press release, Gateway blamed the allegations on a “disgruntled employee” laid off in April who later contacted The Maine Wire and other right-leaning outlets. The company said the fraud allegations are false and insisted it maintains strict billing, documentation, and compliance protocols.
Gateway provides mental and behavioral health services for individuals with disabilities and was founded by Abdullahi Ali, an immigrant from Somalia.
“These reckless narratives have real impacts on the thousands of Mainers, a majority of whom are not immigrants, that rely on Gateway for services,” said Pawel Binczyk, an attorney at Fisher & Phillips, in the statement.
Republicans rejected that explanation and renewed calls for a sweeping, statewide investigation into MaineCare billing practices.
“It’s time for a full-throated, hold-back-nothing investigation into these organizations,” said Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo. “The people of Maine are demanding accountability for the money they send to Augusta every single day.”
DHHS confirmed that its audit of Gateway has been referred to the Office of the Attorney General.
“The Department will continue to hold providers to the highest standards and ensure accountability in the use of public funds,” DHHS press secretary Lindsay Hammes said in a statement.
For Republicans, the Gateway case has become a defining moment, not only for MaineCare oversight, but for whether state leadership will confront allegations of fraud head-on or continue, as Harrington put it, in “deafening” silence.
