Five group homes. Two scandals. Health Department program under microscope

August 21, 2026 - 19:05

State health officials have pulled the licenses from five group homes tied to two separate figures now at the center of public scrutiny. The move comes after a string of revelations that have raised serious questions about how the Health Department oversees residential care facilities and who gets approved to run them.

The first case involves Sekou Dukuly, who serves as the executive director of the National Port Authority of Liberia. His group homes lost their licenses after an investigation found what regulators described as systemic failures in care and oversight. While the specific violations have not been fully detailed, the department has confirmed that the homes are no longer authorized to operate.

The second case is more troubling. Andrea Sampson, a former Anoka County Attorney, had her properties stripped of their licenses as well. Prosecutors allege that Sampson used some of her real estate holdings to traffic women before converting those same buildings into group homes and then billing Medicaid for services. The dual use of the properties, according to court documents, was part of a broader scheme that mixed criminal activity with state-funded care.

Together, these two cases have put the Health Department's licensing process under a microscope. Critics are asking how individuals with such backgrounds were able to secure approval in the first place. The department has said it is reviewing its procedures and will cooperate with any outside inquiry. For now, the five homes are closed, and the residents who lived there have been moved to other facilities. But the larger question remains: how many other homes are operating with similar gaps in oversight?