SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine—Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine rallied alongside a Somali-born state lawmaker tied to a nonprofit under congressional investigation for allegedly defrauding the state of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments.
At a “Tax the Rich to Fund Health Care” rally on Tuesday, Platner was introduced by Deqa Dhalac, a headscarf-wearing state representative for Maine’s 120th district. Dhalac, who worked for Gateway Community Services Maine, took the stage to praise Platner, calling him the state’s “next senator.”
“I was not planning on speaking or saying anything, but … I am proud to introduce our next senator in the United States, Graham Platner,” Dhalac told a packed community center in South Portland—a city where she served as mayor between 2021 and 2022. She has also been a leader in statewide “racism” awareness and DEI initiatives.
Maine has a relatively large Somali immigrant community—as many as 10,000—which, while not nearly as large or high profile as the Somali population in Minnesota, has also been mired in accusations of Medicaid fraud.
The allegations don’t seem to trouble Platner, a self-described communist who once sported a neo-Nazi tattoo and is running in a competitive Democratic Senate primary to challenge a vulnerable incumbent, Sen. Susan Collins (R.). Platner described Dhalac as a “very good friend and a longtime fighter for justice and decency.”
Gateway Community Services Maine, where Dhalac was employed from May 2022 to March 2023 as assistant executive director, according to her LinkedIn profile, is under investigation by federal and state authorities for alleged financial misconduct involving the state’s Medicaid program, MaineCare. The nonprofit—which was founded by a native Somali and touts two Somali-born board members—provides “wraparound services,” such as health care, job search, and social services, to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers.
Last month, congressional and federal authorities launched investigations into Gateway Community Services Maine amid allegations of widespread billing fraud. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee listed Dhalac as a person of interest in its request for Treasury Department records related to Gateway Community Services Maine and other nonprofits. The Department of Homeland Security is also investigating the organization’s hiring practices. While Dhalac has not been accused of wrongdoing, a former Gateway billing specialist says the alleged fraud escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christopher Bernardini, who worked for the nonprofit from 2018 to 2025, told a reporter last month that Gateway Community Services Maine billed MaineCare for services that were never provided by falsifying client records. Bernardini also alleged that Gateway, which received $28.8 million in MaineCare payments between 2019 and 2024, misused funds from the COVID-19-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by paying bonuses and employing no-show staff.
Federal records show that Gateway Community Services Maine and its affiliated organization, Gateway Community Services, received $700,000 of PPP funds. State investigators have also identified more than $662,000 in MaineCare overpayments from 2015 to 2018, as well as an additional $1.07 million from March 2021 through December 2022.
A financial disclosure reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon shows that while Dhalac was serving in government, Gateway Community Services Maine paid her nearly $26,000 in 2023. That record also indicates that she worked 40 hours per week while serving as state representative, raising questions about how she balanced multiple roles.
In addition, Dhalac cofounded Cross Cultural Community Services, a nonprofit that “tackles … racism as a public health issue” and “partners with companies, schools, and institutions to create customized DEI training, cultural competency development, and strategic equity planning.”
Last month, Republican lawmakers in the Maine House of Representatives called on Democratic leaders to remove Dhalac from the Legislature’s budget committee.
“Any accusations that I participated in illegal activities aren’t just unequivocally false—they are also reckless and harmful,” Dhalac said in a statement. “I take seriously the state’s responsibility to serve as a good steward of taxpayer dollars, and I support the investigation to hold accountable any individuals who misuse public funds.”
Dhalac also spoke and marched alongside Platner at a December 13 event in Lewiston, Maine, organized by Safiya Khalid, another Somali-born left-wing activist and former Gateway Community Services Maine employee. Khalid held a leadership role at the nonprofit, which touted her as being part of a “dynamic duo” hired in 2019 and credited her work on its “COVID-19 Youth Coalition.”
“Safiya, thank you. All of us would not be here without your organizing skills,” Platner said at the event. “We are in your debt.”
“Mainers know that the Somali community is part of the State of Maine,” he added, accusing President Donald Trump and Republicans of disparaging the state’s Somali community.
Khalid has maintained ties to the organization since leaving in 2022. She later founded Community Organizing Alliance, a civic engagement group that shares an office address with Gateway Community Services. In addition, Gateway Community Services founder Abdullahi Ali served on the alliance’s board.
Dhalac promoted the December 13 rally on her Instagram account, sharing a flyer that reads, “Our community is hurting after the racist and dehumanizing attacks against Somali Americans. This moment demands courage, solidarity, and love. We refuse to be silent. We refuse to allow hate to define who we are.”
Platner and Dhalac did not respond to requests for comment.
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