Inside Rochester’s “1500 Building,” a dense cluster of tenants operate under one roof, including the Olmsted County Democratic Party, a Somali community center, an Islamic mosque, and a half-dozen transportation companies operating out of separate suites.
Among them, state business records show at least six transportation companies at 1500 1st Ave. NE:
- Star Special Transportation (Ste. 213) — listed agent Al Hamzah Dheyaa Al Juboori
- Swift Ride Transportation (Ste. 100) — listed agent Hassan Shaleh
- Sunflower Transport (Ste. 209) — listed agent Nasir Hassan
- Helpful Transportation (Ste. 112) — listed agent Abdiweli Hassan
- Hannibal Transportation (Ste. 206) — listed agent Muridi Sharif Mowlana
- Qadar Transport (Ste. 111 / Ste. 212) — listed agent Hawa Mohamed Abdulle
The building also houses the Rochester Somali Community Center in Suite 126, an Islamic mosque, Masjid Salaama, in Suite B, and the Olmsted County DFL office in Suite A.
Building draws attention on social media and in community
Last month in a viral post, political commentator Peter Bernegger raised questions on X about the unusually high concentration of transportation-related businesses operating out of the 1500 Building.
It’s not just political commentators taking notice.
A longtime Rochester resident told Alpha News the Nick Shirley videos prompted him to pay closer attention to what he was seeing around town — and said the 1500 Building quickly stood out as especially suspicious.
“There were all kinds of minivans parked in the lot. Some had a flat tire, others had inches of snow on them and looked like they hadn’t been used in quite some time,” the resident said.
Ownership and revoked care license
One of the transportation companies operating out of the 1500 Building, Qadar Transport, is operated by by Hawa Abdulle — who appears to be the same individual who held a now-revoked adult foster care license and home and community-based services license.
Government records connect a Hawa Abdulle to two homes in northwest Rochester roughly one-tenth of a mile apart and each valued at approximately $400,000–$500,000.
The adult foster care and home and community-based services licenses were both revoked by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The revocation was upheld by the Minnesota Court of Appeals in December 2025.
State investigators found that the foster care home was not the license holder’s primary residence — a legal requirement for an adult foster care license — and that the operation had accumulated a lengthy list of violations involving resident rights, medication oversight, staff training and record-keeping.
A neighbor who lives near the two properties told Alpha News that, on most days, “six to eight vehicles are parked between the two houses”, including what the neighbor described as high-end vehicles such as a “Tesla, BMW, Chrysler 300, and a Porsche,” along with three to four minivans associated with Qadar Transport.
Medicaid services under statewide fraud scrutiny
Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) and adult day care services have both emerged as high-risk areas in Minnesota’s widening Medicaid fraud investigations.
In March 2026, state officials told lawmakers there were 71 open investigations involving NEMT providers. At the same time, adult day care and related providers have also come under increased scrutiny.
In December 2025, the Walz administration announced a pause on new adult day center licenses as part of a broader fraud-prevention effort, citing concerns about waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid-funded health care services. State officials said the licensing moratorium was expected to run through January 2028.
Similarly, the state has implemented a two-year pause on new licenses for home and community-based services providers. One such provider operates out of the 1500 Building.
Alpha News asked the Minnesota Department of Human Services for records showing any Medicaid or Medical Assistance payments made to the companies operating out of the 1500 Building, including Qadar Transport, and how much the state paid Ayan Home Health Care LLC before its license was revoked. The agency had not responded by publication.
Alpha News also reached out to Abdulle for comment regarding her transportation company, the prior license revocation and the associated properties. She did not respond.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
