Somalia’s U.N. Envoy Abukar Dahir Osman Linked to Ohio Medicaid Fraud Case

WASHINGTON — Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations is facing fresh scrutiny after a senior U.S. health official said he has ties to an Ohio health care company that was later convicted of Medicaid fraud, a claim emerging as fraud cases involving Somali Americans draw intensifying attention in the United States.

Jim O’Neil, deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, made the allegation against Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations and a former president of the U.N. Security Council for the month of January.

Documents show Osman had connections to Ohio and to Progressive Health Care Services Inc., a Cincinnati-based company that later pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud and was ordered to pay more than $90,000 in restitution. But the records do not make clear how deeply Osman was involved with the business.

O’Neil’s remarks came after the Trump administration focused attention on a sweeping social service fraud investigation in Minnesota that has led to criminal charges against dozens of people of Somali descent. Some residents say the case has helped fuel broader attacks on the Somali community.

At a Jan. 2 news conference at the United Nations, Osman spoke on several issues, including the war in Gaza, where he criticized Israel and accused its government of trying to “export” Palestinians. When the subject turned to anti-Somali rhetoric in the United States, he said the accusations were at odds with reality, pointing to Somali Americans who have won public office and dismissing the controversy as a distraction.

When pressed about Trump’s past comments describing Somalis as “garbage,” Osman did not respond, saying only that rhetoric from U.S. officials had not altered his relationship with the U.S. representative at the United Nations.

Three days later, O’Neil posted on X that Osman was linked to the Cincinnati company convicted in the Medicaid fraud case. The Department of Health and Human Services did not answer requests for further comment before publication.

According to a U.N. biography, Osman became Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in 2017. Before that, he worked as a supervisor in the Adult Medicaid Unit at Franklin County’s Job and Family Services office in Columbus from 2007 to 2012. He later worked with the Somali government between 2010 and 2017.

Ohio business filings show Osman was listed in 2016 as an “agent” for Progressive Health Care Services. Such agents may be owners, founders or representatives and may not take part in daily operations. A U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database from October 2016 listed him as president and CEO of the company, though state records show another agent had replaced him by 2018.

In 2019, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office brought a criminal case alleging the company committed Medicaid fraud from October 2016 through February 2019. Prosecutors said the company knowingly made false or misleading statements to secure Medicaid reimbursements. The indictment identified another person, not Osman, as the company’s statutory agent.

The matter never went to trial. In April 2021, the company entered a guilty plea signed by representatives and was ordered to pay $93,933.14 in restitution. State records show the business was barred from Medicaid funding after charges were filed and formally excluded after the guilty plea.

As of December 2025, state records indicated Osman who is a close relative to current Somali president Hassan Sheikh remained prohibited from serving in certain roles with Medicaid providers in Ohio.

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