Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), has been linked to an Ohio-based home healthcare agency that was later convicted of defrauding Medicaid out of more than $7 million.
The fraud scheme was revealed by officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Public records show Osman served as President and CEO of Progressive Health Care Services when the company was formed in 2009.
His LinkedIn profile lists him as Managing Director from 2014 until May 2019.
That timeline overlaps with his tenure as Somalia’s UN ambassador, which began around 2017, according to the New York Post.
Osman previously worked inside Ohio’s Medicaid system as well, serving as a supervisor in the Adult Medicaid unit at the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services from 2007 to 2012.
The overlap has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, given that Progressive Health Care Services was later prosecuted for Medicaid fraud.
Progressive Health Care Services was convicted in 2022 of defrauding Medicaid out of $7.2 million through improper claims submitted over multiple years.
The conviction led to the company’s exclusion from federal healthcare programs for at least five years under HHS Office of Inspector General rules.
The fraud case stemmed from a federal prosecution in Ohio following a multiyear investigation into billing practices.
However, specific details about the exact nature of the scheme have not yet been publicly released.
HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill confirmed Osman’s association with the company in a post on X Monday.
“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 wrote.
He added that federal investigators are continuing to examine related issues, stating:
“More to come.”
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.
HHS has previously taken… pic.twitter.com/zWIlC63Qer
— Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill (@HHS_Jim) January 5, 2026
Osman has not been personally charged or convicted in connection with the fraud case.
However, the revelation comes amid broader federal scrutiny of similar fraud schemes tied to Somali nationals.
Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke recently alleged widespread Medicaid exploitation in the Somali community, claiming that individuals for more than a decade have pressured clinicians to approve unnecessary home health services for relatives.
Cooke said the practice resulted in fraudulent payouts of up to $60,000 per person annually, alleging that fraud participants were coached to lie about disabilities and medical needs.
She estimated the losses in the millions and said that 99% of approvals involved recipients who were not truly eligible, drawing comparisons to similar fraud scandals now under investigation in Minnesota.
READ MORE – Ad Emerges for ‘Child Actors’ to Fill Minnesota ‘Daycare’ amid Somali Fraud Scandal
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