The son of one of Africa’s most notorious dictators has reportedly spent decades living in Columbus, Ohio, where his family became connected to a healthcare business that received roughly $1.8 million through Medicare.
Ayanle Siad, 61, is the son of Mohamed Siad Barre, the longtime Somali ruler whose government has been accused of mass killings, torture and other atrocities before his regime collapsed in 1991.
Recent reporting on Siad’s life in Ohio has renewed painful questions for Somali survivors who say members of Barre’s government were never held accountable for what happened back home. It also comes as federal and state authorities are conducting a sweeping crackdown on healthcare fraud in Ohio — although authorities have not publicly accused Siad of participating in the fraud cases announced this year.
