Two Somali Democratic politicians who condemned President Donald Trump's recent “trash” comments are linked to a Maine organization accused of stealing millions of U.S. tax dollars.
Maine Democratic Party representatives Deka Dalak and Yusuf Yusuf both worked with Gateway Community Services (GCS), according to LinkedIn and the Maine Democratic Party website. A whistleblower accused the organization of stealing millions of dollars from Maine's Medicaid program.
Dhalak served as assistant executive director of GCS from May 2022 to March 2023, while also serving as a state representative. according to her on LinkedIn. (RELATED: Somalis Reportedly Conning Blind Minnesotans and Allegedly Sending Some Funds to Islamic Terrorists)
Yusuf is also “working closely with Gateway Community Services,” according to his government. biography.
“When Yusuf is not running his business, he works closely with Gateway Community Services and is a former member of the Portland Board of Education,” his biography states.
Last week, three Somalis serving in the Maine House of Representatives published a letter objecting to Trump calling some Somalis “trash.”
Two of the three are linked to a Maine organization accused of stealing millions of taxpayer dollars through ongoing Medicaid fraud, similar to the Minnesota scandal. pic.twitter.com/BDUOhHHosg
— Amber Duke (@ambermarieduke) December 8, 2025
Whistleblower and self-proclaimed GCS “billing guru” Christopher Bernardini compared the Somali healthcare contractor scandal to fraud allegations against Somali migrants in Minnesota, according to an interview with NewsNation.
Bernardini alleged that GCS oversaw a system that manipulated the electronic monitoring system to falsify records of client visits, making it appear that GCS employees were visiting low-income and disabled clients.
GCS would then charge taxpayers for a service that never happened, Bernardini said in an interview. He claimed that clients called him and said that “the staff didn't show up and they still told me to bill for those hours. It got worse and worse until I really started to stink.”
“I just couldn’t understand it—I thought we were helping people; I thought this whole thing was on the rise,” Bernardini told NewsNation. “I have a passion for helping people and I thought we were doing the right thing all along.”
Republican Sen. Matt Harrington called for an investigation when he first heard about the fraud allegations in May, he told the outlet.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills' administration “ignored clear and credible reports of Somalia-related systemic fraud in MaineCare,” he said. “This is an outrageous betrayal of Maine taxpayers.”
Another former GCS employee, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed Bernardini's allegations to NewsNation.
“I saw a lot of things happen that shouldn’t have happened,” a source told the publication. “Time sheets are manipulated to show that services have been provided, but time is also manipulated.”
GCS CEO, Somali-American Abdullahi Ali, did not respond to NewsNation's requests for comment, but he reportedly released X's statement in response to media coverage of the allegations.
“I'm proud to put my hard-earned dollars into supporting my people at home. America is a country of laws, you can't change the facts by making up false stories. I'm a proud Somali American,” he said, according to the report. X-post is only available to certain viewers.
At Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump called Somalia is a “garbage” country in link to a similar taxpayer fraud case allegedly involving members of Minnesota's Somali community.
Trump said Somalis in Minnesota have “robbed this state of billions of dollars, billions every year” and said they bring nothing to the state.
“These are not the people who work. These are not the people who say: 'Let's go.' Let's. Let's make this place great,” Trump said. “These are people who do nothing but complain. They complain. And from where they came from, they got nothing.”
Somali Maine Reps. Mana Abdi, Dhalak and Yusuf responded to the comments Thursday, saying their communities “deserve leaders who will call out dangerous rhetoric, defend democratic principles, and not allow fear or dehumanization to dictate public policy,” according to the report. statement.
“An attack on Somali Americans, TPS holders, or any immigrant community is an attack on all Americans. Maine is stronger when we stand together, reject dehumanization, and insist on a future based on safety, justice, and shared belonging,” the statement said.
Dhalak, Yusuf and GCS did not respond to the Daily Caller's request for comment by the time of publication.
