Investigate Medicaid Fraud in Maine: Demand Accountability Now
The Issue
Millions of taxpayer dollars meant to support vulnerable Mainers may have been stolen, and so far, there has been no full, public investigation.
A former employee at Gateway Community Services, a mental health and Medicaid-funded provider in Maine, has come forward with serious allegations of systemic fraud. Christopher Bernardini, a whistleblower who worked for Gateway for nearly seven years, says the company submitted false billing records, manipulated timecards, and charged the state for services that were never delivered.
According to Bernardini, this misconduct accelerated during the pandemic when federal relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) became available. He alleges staff received unearned bonuses, timecards were faked, and the organization fraudulently billed MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
Gateway received $28.8 million from MaineCare between 2019 and 2024, including $4.1 million in 2024 alone, according to public records. State investigators had already cited the organization in 2022 for over $776,000 in overpayments due to billing discrepancies.
Yet no public, independent investigation has been launched.
We are calling on Governor Janet Mills to immediately:
- Launch a full independent audit and investigation into Gateway Community Services
- Review all state contracts with Gateway and other high-billing Medicaid providers
- Release a public report detailing findings and actions taken
- Propose safeguards to prevent similar fraud in the future
Medicaid fraud hurts the people who need care the most. Every dollar misused is a dollar not going toward services for children, people with disabilities, low-income families, and seniors. It also damages public trust in critical programs like MaineCare.
We must ensure that public funds are used responsibly and that whistleblowers who raise red flags are protected and heard.
Please sign this petition to demand a full and independent investigation into Gateway Community Services and any potential Medicaid fraud. Maine taxpayers deserve transparency, and the people served by MaineCare deserve better.
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The Issue
Millions of taxpayer dollars meant to support vulnerable Mainers may have been stolen, and so far, there has been no full, public investigation.
A former employee at Gateway Community Services, a mental health and Medicaid-funded provider in Maine, has come forward with serious allegations of systemic fraud. Christopher Bernardini, a whistleblower who worked for Gateway for nearly seven years, says the company submitted false billing records, manipulated timecards, and charged the state for services that were never delivered.
According to Bernardini, this misconduct accelerated during the pandemic when federal relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) became available. He alleges staff received unearned bonuses, timecards were faked, and the organization fraudulently billed MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
Gateway received $28.8 million from MaineCare between 2019 and 2024, including $4.1 million in 2024 alone, according to public records. State investigators had already cited the organization in 2022 for over $776,000 in overpayments due to billing discrepancies.
Yet no public, independent investigation has been launched.
We are calling on Governor Janet Mills to immediately:
- Launch a full independent audit and investigation into Gateway Community Services
- Review all state contracts with Gateway and other high-billing Medicaid providers
- Release a public report detailing findings and actions taken
- Propose safeguards to prevent similar fraud in the future
Medicaid fraud hurts the people who need care the most. Every dollar misused is a dollar not going toward services for children, people with disabilities, low-income families, and seniors. It also damages public trust in critical programs like MaineCare.
We must ensure that public funds are used responsibly and that whistleblowers who raise red flags are protected and heard.
Please sign this petition to demand a full and independent investigation into Gateway Community Services and any potential Medicaid fraud. Maine taxpayers deserve transparency, and the people served by MaineCare deserve better.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on December 9, 2025