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Cooke says providers within Ohio’s Somali community approached her privately, describing pressure to participate in what they claim is a massive and deeply entrenched Medicaid fraud operation.
According to those sources, the scheme has been running quietly for more than a decade and has drained millions of dollars from Ohio taxpayers.
How the Scheme Allegedly Works
At the center of the fraud is a loophole in Ohio’s Medicaid waiver system.
The program allows individuals to collect up to $91,000 per year for providing in-home care to relatives with qualifying medical conditions.
But Cooke says the system is being abused on a staggering scale.
Doctors allegedly rubber-stamp approvals for elderly patients who do not require care, then receive kickbacks in exchange for signing off on fraudulent diagnoses.
Family members are then paid nearly six figures annually to “care” for relatives who are not actually sick.
According to Cooke’s sources, nearly everyone involved knows the system is fake.
They claim that in 99 percent of cases, individuals receiving benefits are coached to lie to doctors to secure approvals.
Even more disturbing, providers who tried to speak up say they were threatened with violence.
The whistleblowers told Cooke they would be “stoned to death” if their identities were revealed.
“What we’re seeing in Minneapolis is just a snippet of what’s happening in Ohio,” Cooke explained.²
Criminals Exploiting a Broken System
Cooke has been careful to draw an important distinction.
She says the issue is not the broader Somali community, but criminal networks operating within it who discovered how easy Ohio’s system is to exploit.
“The problem today is not the community; it’s actually the criminals within the Somalian community that have exploited Ohio’s Medicaid program because we have a system right now that’s one of the easiest in the Midwest to game,” Cooke said.³
Ohio’s Medicaid waiver program was created with good intentions.
But according to Cooke, it now lacks meaningful oversight of any kind.
There are no independent assessments, no surprise inspections, and virtually no enforcement.
Meanwhile, individuals approved as “bedridden” are reportedly seen days later dancing at parties across social media.
“Our waiver system in Ohio was built with compassion. It was built to really help individuals that are struggling and in need, but it’s being looted today,” Cooke stated.⁴
A Pattern That Looks Uncomfortably Familiar
The allegations echo what federal prosecutors uncovered in Minnesota.
There, organized fraud rings stole more than $800 million from three major programs.
That included $300 million from Feeding Our Future, up to $220 million from autism services fraud, and another $302 million from housing assistance.⁵
Nearly all of the defendants charged came from the same tight-knit community structure, using trust and cultural ties to hide criminal activity.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson warned the final total could reach “billions of dollars” once all investigations are complete.
Ohio’s alleged scheme appears to follow the same blueprint.
Where Is the Oversight?
Despite serving as governor since 2019, Republican Governor Mike DeWine has taken little visible action to confront the problem.
In fact, his administration quietly disbanded the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee during a late-night budget maneuver just as the panel was digging into billions in questionable contracts.⁶
DeWine’s appointed Medicaid director, Maureen Corcoran, resigned in September 2025 amid growing scrutiny over mismanagement.⁷
When lawmakers raised concerns about fraud and ineligible recipients, Medicaid officials urged “patience and caution” instead of audits or eligibility checks.
To many taxpayers, that sounded like surrender.
Calls for Accountability Grow Louder
Cooke says the solution is simple but politically uncomfortable.
“I think every state, in addition to Ohio, should be asking for audits of their Medicaid system and their programs,” Cooke urged. “At the end of the day, Ohio taxpayers are hurting, the American people are hurting, and we don’t have enough tax dollars.”⁸
If the allegations are accurate, Ohio’s Medicaid system has been looted for over a decade with little resistance.
Governor DeWine has been in office for six of those years.
At this point, voters are left with an uncomfortable question.
Was this massive fraud ignored through incompetence, or allowed through complicity?
Either way, Ohio taxpayers deserve answers.
