Somali Salvation Democratic Front fighters move in their military vehicle on March 24, 1991, in Bufo, 85 kilometers from Mogadishu. President Siad Barre fled the country in late January 1991. (David Chazan – AFP / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin September 14, 2026 at 5:00am
The son and daughter of Siad Barre, a former military dictator of Somalia, were discovered living in the United States running a home healthcare business funded by Medicare.
Barre’s son, Ayanle, and daughter, Deka Mohamed Siad, currently lead “unassuming suburban lives” in Columbus, Ohio, according to an exclusive Friday report from the New York Post.
The outlet cited sources saying that Ayanle, 61, and Deka, 69, arrived in the United States soon after Barre — who is reportedly responsible for some 200,000 deaths — was deposed in 1991.
Beyond running the home healthcare business — which has claimed some $1.8 million from Medicare — they also have a translation service and a charity.
‘Right-hand-man’ son of genocidal Somali dictator who killed 200,000 found living in Ohio, linked to $1.8M Medicare firm https://t.co/kA6cc1ThHu pic.twitter.com/KuTFRwkU9k
— New York Post (@nypost) September 11, 2026
Ayanle in particular helped to lead Barre’s administration in the closing years of his regime.
But he now lives “on a quiet street in a suburb of Columbus,” according to the New York Post.
His home, where he lives with his wife and young son, is worth a modest $350,000.
The Somali community in Columbus, which has 70,000 members, is the second-largest in the United States, eclipsed only by Minnesota.
The discovery comes as the federal government investigates widespread welfare fraud by the Somali community in and around Minneapolis.
The Treasury Department raised the alarm over the schemes earlier this year, vowing efforts to “crack down on fraud and recover taxpayer dollars in the unprecedented Somali organized crime scheme.”
Today in Minnesota, @SecScottBessent outlined the actions we are taking to crack down on fraud and recover taxpayer dollars in the unprecedented Somali organized crime scheme.
This is industrial level fraud, and we must ensure that it never occurs again. Treasury is taking… pic.twitter.com/pV3ezLs5iL
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) January 10, 2026
“This is industrial level fraud, and we must ensure that it never occurs again,” the agency said.
“Treasury is taking action against businesses that may have broken anti-money laundering laws as well as training financial institutions to better safeguard our financial system.”
The New York Post meanwhile interviewed members of the Somali community who said the Barre regime devastated their families.
“It was just awful because, to this day, not a single person had been held accountable for the genocide that took place,” Ali-Guban Mohamed told the outlet.
“Siad Barre and his men committed so many war crimes so I was shocked to see his son [Ayanle] in the mosque enjoying his freedom,” he continued.
“My family were rounded up in a small township called Agabur and executed. Their bodies were put into a well and that was happening across the board.”
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
