It started in Minnesota, but it’s not staying there.
With Attorney General Pam Bondi issuing the first round of indictments in the sprawling fraud investigation tied to Somali-led networks in Minnesota — a scandal already pegged at over $9 billion in stolen taxpayer funds — it now appears the tentacles of this scheme may stretch farther than anyone originally feared.
Next stop? Ohio.
According to a report from WSYX, federal agents are now being urged to look into a possible second front of the fraud war — this time centered in Columbus, where Somali-owned daycare centers are once again raising serious red flags. The allegations mirror the Minnesota playbook almost to the letter: fake daycare operations, bogus Medicare and home healthcare claims, and a seemingly endless stream of public funds pouring into services that, in many cases, don’t appear to exist.
It’s not speculation anymore. It’s happening.
Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke laid it out in brutal detail, exposing what she called a widespread “home health racket” that’s milking the Medicaid system under the guise of elder care and critical assistance.
“You could sit at home without caring for an elderly parent who really doesn’t need it, make about $75,000 to $90,000 a year,” Cooke explained. “Add two parents, that’s $180,000. Add in-laws, $250,000.”
🚨 WOW. Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke CONFIRMS MASSIVE fraud in Ohio, another hotbed for Somalis
They run fake “home health” and bill $250,000 PER YEAR, per FAMILY, when no work is actually being done
She says it also happens in PENNSYLVANIA
“Audit America. Audit Ohio now. And I’m… pic.twitter.com/eEiRjdHtpO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 29, 2025
Multiply that across networks — now allegedly spreading into organized Somali-led fraud rings — and you’re talking about millions, possibly billions, in siphoned Medicaid dollars. And what’s worse: the state often pays out as long as a doctor signs the paperwork. No real checks. No follow-ups. Just taxpayer cash flowing out like a busted hydrant.
When some providers refused to rubber-stamp the documents? They were cut out — replaced by others more willing to play ball in a kickback-fueled operation that screams for federal intervention.
And let’s not sugarcoat it: this money is meant for our elderly, our disabled, our most vulnerable citizens. Instead, it’s being skimmed by people who’ve figured out how to game a bloated, under-policed system, and turn it into a personal ATM — all under the banner of “healthcare” and “child services.”
Sound familiar?
Minnesota may have been the flashpoint — with fake food programs, ghost daycares, and convicted fraudsters funneling cash to Al-Shabaab — but if these early indicators are correct, Ohio is following close behind. And frankly, the same blueprint could be active in every state that refuses to look under the hood.
Cooke is right: it’s not “subjective.” It’s not “the way things have always been.” And it’s not just a paperwork issue.
It’s a system being deliberately exploited, and unless more states act swiftly — like Minnesota was forced to after being publicly embarrassed — we may soon be talking about tens of billions of dollars in nationwide fraud tied to networks hiding behind nonprofits, daycares, and “community services.”
So, yes — hey FBI: you might want to send a few more teams to Columbus. And while you’re at it, check the rest of the Midwest too.
Because if Minnesota was the tip of the iceberg, the full scale of this operation might still be buried beneath the surface — and it’s the American taxpayer who’s going to sink with it.
