By Sandy Fitzgerald
Thursday, 01 January 2026 12:55 PM EST
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reportedly received nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from donors connected to Somali-operated daycare centers in his state, according to a new report.
Walz’s administration has been accused of allowing fraud totaling millions of dollars in the state, and he received checks from Democrat donors involved in the Somali daycare centers and home health services. Many of these companies do not appear to be open for business.
For example, during his 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign, Walz received $1,000 from Mohamed Rabi of Hiawatha Adult Day Care Center. The center does not have its own website but is listed on third-party sites in New Jersey as being located at Franklin Avenue in south Minneapolis within a strip mall and next to African Immigrants Community Services, a refugee resettlement program that helps East African immigrants get public benefits.
Hiawatha Senior Center is registered with the Minnesota Department of Education as a child nutrition organization and receives reimbursements for meals through the state’s Child and Adult Food Care Program, which is federally funded.
Walz also received $1,000 in 2021 from Khadar Jama of Open Hearts Home Health Care of Minneapolis. The at-home care provider shares an address with Caring Home Health, a company that traces back to a three-bedroom residential home. Caring Home Health, which is Somali-owned, is licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health as an assisted living facility but was flagged in 2024 for several safety violations.
In 2018, when Walz first ran for governor, his campaign received $2,250 from Abdiwadi Husen of Minnesota Quality Care and $500 from Nazneen Khatoon of Best Care Home Health Care.
Best Care came under investigation in 2023 for suspected neglect of a vulnerable adult. The incident involved a staff member smoking marijuana during one patient’s medical appointment and driving the client home while under the influence. That year, a judge found that Best Care improperly collected $2.23 million in Minnesota Health Care Program funds and ordered the organization to pay a penalty for overpayments. The company also faced accusations in civil court of overcharging the federal government or fraudulently billing for services not performed.
In a separate 2002 case, the U.S. government filed a civil suit against the company for allegedly submitting false Medicare reimbursement claims.
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
