A behavioral health service provider in Maine is rejecting claims by a former employee that the organization submitted false billing records to MaineCare. Gateway Community Services said the claims, and subsequent media reports, have exposed it to broader attacks on Somali immigrants.
Christopher Bernardini first made the allegations to the conservative media outlet The Maine Wire in May, shortly after he was laid off, according to Gateway's lawyer, Pawel Binczyk.
In a written statement, Binczyk said Bernardini oversaw billing records for multiple programs, and never raised concerns about "inaccurate billing, fraud, or impropriety" during his seven years at Gateway.
Gateway's CEO is from Somalia, and Bernardini's allegations have recently attracted national attention following a fraud scandal in Minnesota involving Somali community groups, and President Donald Trump's attacks on Somali immigrants.
Binczyk said Gateway employees have received death threats as the story has spread.
In an email, a Maine Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said audits covering 2015 to 2018 found overpayments to Gateway totaling about $660,000, though a partial appeal is pending.
Binczyk said those audits are standard procedure, and that after providing additional documentation, the final billing discrepancy is often much smaller. He said none of the audits have implicated Gateway for services it did not provide.
DHHS said it refers any suspected fraud to the attorney general's office.
