The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) suspended MaineCare payments to the allegedly fraudulent Maine Connect Care just days after The Maine Wire published an article detailing its ties to a money transfer station and other allegedly fraudulent home health care billers.
[RELATED: Portland Office Becomes a Hub for Medicaid “Home Health” and Somali Money Transfers…]
A Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request last week revealed that the DHHS suspended payments to Maine Connect Care on January 30, shortly after The Maine Wire visited its office at 203 Anderson Street in Portland, and just eight days after the publication of an article highlighting its ties to a money transfer station.
The notice of suspension accuses Maine Connect Care of billing for services not rendered, billing for services while unlicensed, and billing for services provided by an individual excluded from the MaineCare program.
The notice required the immediate suspension of all MaineCare payments to the business and was only issued following a careful review of the allegations made against it.
The notice does not provide specific details on the allegations, as the investigation remained ongoing at the time it was issued.
The DHHS notified the business that the allegations may have stemmed from a fraud hotline complaint, data mining, patterns identified through an audit, a civil false claims case, or a law enforcement investigation, among other possible sources.
Any attempts by Maine Connect Care to circumvent the suspension will result in immediate termination from MaineCare rather than the temporary suspension.
The suspension will be lifted if investigators believe that there is insufficient evidence of fraud or when civil and criminal proceedings related to the alleged fraud are concluded.
Records obtained by The Maine Wire do not show whether Maine Connect Care appealed the decision or the current status of the investigation into its alleged fraud.
At 203 Anderson Street, Maine Connect Care shared a building with four other New Mainer-operated home health care businesses and a Dahabshiil money transfer station. Dahabshiil is the largest money transfer business in Africa and was founded in Somalia, though it is currently based in the United Arab Emirates.
Maine Connect Care, operated by Ahdaf Shamkhi, billed MaineCare a massive $7,243,676 from 2021 to 2025.
According to business records, Maine Connect Care is listed as being no longer a business in good standing after failing to file its annual report in June.
The business no longer appears in Maine licensing records as a health care provider, suggesting that the fraud investigation has not had a favorable result for Shamkhi and his business.
Adaffy Shamkhip didn’t he run for Senator in the Democratic primary.