Conservatives pull Somali UN ambassador into health care fraud controversy
Allegations have spread online linking Somalia’s United Nations ambassador to an Ohio health care company that people claimed is committing fraud, something a Health and Human Services official said is substantiated. The claims are the latest levied against Somali Americans, whom President Donald Trump targeted in his immigration operation for Minnesota.
A claim started by Libs of TikTok alleged that Somalia’s ambassador, Abukar Dahir Osman, ran Progressive Health Care Services, located in Cincinnati. The X post alleged that Osman and other Somali Americans owned companies that were committing Medicaid fraud. It’s one of many fraud allegations people have leveled against Somali-run businesses and was the subject of a controversial video where conservative influencer Nick Shirley visited several health entities in the Twin Cities.
The conservative influencer included a screenshot of what appeared to be Osman’s LinkedIn profile in the post. A search on LinkedIn for Osman turned up with no results.
Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services said on X that Osman had confirmed connections to the company. A review of the company’s National Provider Identifier number listed its president as “Mr. ABUKAR D OSMAN,” but state and federal records didn’t detail criminal wrongdoings.
“I can confirm public speculation that Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UN and President of the Security Council, is in fact associated with Progressive Health Care Services, a home health agency in Cincinnati,” O’Neill said, adding that there’s more to come.
O’Neill didn’t elaborate on how he verified the ambassador’s connection.
Progressive Health Care Services didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow News’ requests for comment. Messages were left with phone numbers the company had listed on government documents.
Somalia is in the middle of a war with al-Qaeda’s affiliate al-Shabaab. At the same time, the nation is dealing with a faction territory called Somaliland that Israel recognized in late December, the only country to do so.
Ohio records show agency partially open
Progressive Health Care Services is a home health agency based in Ohio. A review of its U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-issued National Provider Identifier number showed that the Inspector General issued an exclusion on May 19, 2022, for a “program-related conviction.” No information was available on what led to the exclusion from either HHS or Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Health’s list of Medicaid/Medicare certified facilities listed Progressive Health’s lab closed as of Aug. 2, 2022, but listed its home health agency status as open. It opened operations on Oct. 22, 2010.
According to Ohio Department of Health Records, search results for Progressive Health Care Services turned up empty for state-issued home health care licenses. It did hold a license as a clinical laboratory until its closure. The registry didn’t detail when the license was first issued. The state also had no record of abuse committed by nurse aides at Progressive.
Online news reports claimed that Osman filed a statutory agent update with Ohio’s Secretary of State, but the records point to a “Progressive Health Care. Services, Inc.” located in Columbus, 106 miles away from Cincinnati, and does not delineate a middle name for the person. Voter registration records also show that there are two people who live in Franklin County named Abukar Osman.
The secretary of state also listed the statutory agent changing to a person named Mohamed Farah around October 2018.
A different company — Evergreen Home Care — has occupied the address since Nov. 2022, according to the state. The company has no active exclusions and has been issued an NPI number by HHS.
Osman takes rare role for Somalia
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Presidents of the United Nations Security Council rotate every month and follow an alphabetical list of permanent and temporary members.
As Somalia’s UN ambassador, Osman currently represents the country as president of the UN Security Council. According to the UN, Somalia last held the presidency role 54 years ago. The role rotates every month. In February, the United Kingdom will assume the presidency, followed by the United States in March. Presidencies are determined by alphabetical order, with Slovenia preceding Somalia.
Somalia is a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2026 to 2027 term. The council regularly monitors and maintains international peace through sanctions, formally recognizing nations and condemning world leaders, among other measures. Fifteen nations are on the council, which include the U.S. and Somalia.
Osman’s life between Somalia and America
According to a July 2017 press release from the United Nations announcing Osman’s appointment as permanent representative, the organization said that he earned several college degrees from universities in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin between 1986 and 1990.
From 1987 to 1988, he worked as director of Somalia’s national documentation center within the country’s Ministry of National Planning before taking on the role as clerk. He then moved on to work for the UN’s center for human rights in Albania between 1996 and 1998.
Osman returned back to the U.S. and worked in Franklin County, Ohio, Department of Job and Family Services between 1999 and 2012, serving as a case manager, program specialist and last as a supervisor of the adult Medicaid unit. In that same time frame, he served as deputy director of the International Academy of Columbus, a community school, and founded Beacon Educational Services where he served as a consultant for three years.
Osman has not yet publicly commented on the allegations connecting him with the Cincinnati home health company.
“Before his latest appointment, Mr. Osman was Chief of Staff in the Office of the President of Somalia from 2014 to 2017,” according to the UN. “He served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Security from 2012 to 2014, and as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government from 2010 to 2011.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
