Ohio files lien against Somali DeWine appointee over unpaid personal income taxes

A Somali-American entrepreneur and community leader who is connected to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine faced a personal income tax lien filed in 2024, while maintaining direct business ties to a nonprofit serving Somali immigrants, funded by the Ohio government, according to a review of public records by Ohio.News.

Farxaan Jeyte, appointed by DeWine to the New African Immigrants Commission shortly after losing the 2023 Columbus City Council District 5 race to incumbent Nick Bankston, owns a company that received significant payments from the Somali Community Association of Ohio (SCAO), a nonprofit supported by grants from the City of Columbus and the Ohio Department of Education.

Ohio.News reached out to DeWine’s office regarding his connection to Jeyte, but received no response to the inquiry.

On its website, SCAO — founded in 1996 — describes delivering essential services, including English classes, employment assistance, housing support, legal aid, and youth programs, to Somali immigrants in central Ohio.

Columbus hosts one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, with approximately 60,000 residents.

In its 2023 tax filing, SCAO reported a payment of $104,947 to The Mix LLC, a company owned by Jeyte through his entity Somperu LLC, as listed on the Secretary of State’s website.

The Mix LLC shares the same Morse Road address as Columbus Global Home Health Services, owned by Nuro Omar, who also operates Global Childcare Center.

Columbus Global Home Health Services has not posted on its Facebook page since 2018 and has a defunct website.

According to Franklin County records reviewed by Ohio.News, Global Childcare Center has a $10,403.85 lien for unpaid commercial activity taxes. Similarly, Daryel Healthcare Center—registered to Liban Abdullahi Abdi—carries a $13,313.50 lien for comparable unpaid taxes.

Jeyte also leads the Global Somali Awards, an organization that builds connections among Somali communities in Columbus and Minnesota.

On his X account, Jeyte has expressed support for various Republican politicians, including U.S. Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Donald Trump.

The review by Ohio.News follows allegations of potentially fraudulent programs involving Somalis in Ohio and Minnesota.

“They’re just rubberstamping a lot of these,” Mehek Cooke, an Ohio attorney and conservative commentator, told Fox News. “And then that same individual, a week later, who’s supposed to be bedridden, is all over social media, whether they’re out dancing at a party or something like that. So, the symptoms aren’t really adding up at the end of the day.”