It is now a national news story, even in the liberal media: a massive Somali-linked welfare fraud scandal.
This troubling new chapter in welfare abuse has come to light, and it demands action from every public official in Maine. Taxpayer funded welfare systems are being exploited on a massive scale. These scams don’t just cost us money, they destroy trust.
I’m sure you’ve seen the national headlines coming from Minnesota where investigators uncovered a widespread welfare-fraud network involving Medicaid, housing assistance, and other programs.
Federal prosecutors estimate billions of dollars were stolen, and some of it likely ended up funding overseas terror groups.
Rest assured, if this can happen in Minnesota, it can, and likely is, happening here.
It is so bad in Minnesota that the government employees unions have turned on Governor Tim Walz for ignoring reports of fraud. Clearly, Tim Walz and Janet Mills have something in common: the belief that accountability for welfare fraud is not a priority.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen reports that the same type of welfare fraud scam is setup and operating in Maine. The Maine Wire broke news months ago that a Somali America, Abdullahi Ali allegedly received tens of millions of dollars from Maine’s Medicaid program, while publicly claiming to bankroll a paramilitary militia in Somalia.
From 2019 to 2024, this individual’s agency reportedly billed MaineCare a total of $28.8 million. He has publicly stated in media interviews that during that time, he was funneling money overseas to fund weapons and supplies while raking in millions of OUR TAX DOLLARS.
Where is the outrage?
It is time for new leadership in Maine. Someone with a business background who ran large organizations is able to be laser focused on such schemes. We need elected officials in Maine who know how to read a spreadsheet, who will find the details hidden in the numbers and who will demand transparency and accountability over where our welfare dollars are being spent.
This isn’t just about scamming the taxpayers. Every dollar diverted into fraud is a dollar taken away from a Maine family who genuinely deserves help. It’s a dollar that could have helped a Maine senior afford medicine, a struggling single mother buy groceries for her kids, or a disabled Mainer get care.
Fraud doesn’t only mean money is lost. The confidence in the entire system is lost and resentment builds. Each scandal erodes public faith, undermines the credibility of welfare programs, and creates a culture of overlooking wrongdoing in the Department because no one cares where the money goes. This makes it harder to build support for those who truly need it. I support a strong safety net that prioritizes our most vulnerable Mainers such as our elderly, disabled, kids and veterans. However, I have zero tolerance for ripping off Maine taxpayers.
We have the tools to rid the system of fraud available to us now. Maine has a Fraud, Investigation and Recovery Unit. Governor LePage was a hawk when it came to welfare fraud. His administration identified, reported and prosecuted it. Democrats in Augusta? They’re more concerned about providing welfare for illegal aliens, keeping men in women’s sports, and social and emotional learning.
We need a governor who treats welfare fraud not like a PR problem, but like the crime it is. We need leadership that demands prosecutions, cooperation with federal agencies, and a full forensic audit of any nonprofit or provider receiving public dollars. We need a governor who respects and watches out for Maine taxpayers. Maine people should come first, always.
If we allow these scandals to continue without consequences, we’re not just writing checks — we’re signaling that Maine’s safety net is a pay-to-play operation and that fraud is an acceptable cost of doing business. It’s not acceptable to me, and it shouldn’t be acceptable to any elected official in Maine.
It’s time to crack down. It’s time to punish the criminals, restore the system, and prove to every honest Mainer that their taxes will support the truly needy, not welfare for illegal migrants or welfare scammers. It’s time Maine get back to a zero tolerance policy when it comes to welfare fraud. It’s time for Maine people to come first.
Ben Midgley is a Republican candidate for governor of Maine. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of two national personal fitness chains.
