Many of you are well aware that my home state of Minnesota has been in the National news quite a bit as of late. With the holidays wrapping up and the new year on the horizon, I thought we'd dive into something that's been bubbling up from the Midwest specifically, the jaw-dropping fraud schemes being exposed in Minnesota. If you're like me, you've probably caught wind of this through viral videos or headlines, but let's break it down properly. This isn't just some small-time scam; we're talking billions of taxpayer dollars vanishing into thin air through fake charities, ghost daycares, and bogus healthcare setups. It's a story of greed, oversight failures, and a whole lot of questions about how this scheme went unchecked for so long.
Let me start with the basics. Back in 2022, federal prosecutors kicked off what's become one of the largest public assistance fraud investigations in U.S. history, centered around the "Feeding Our Future" program. This was supposed to be a noble effort to feed kids during the pandemic, but instead, it turned into a feeding frenzy for fraudsters. Dozens of people, many from Minnesota's Somali community, were charged with siphoning off hundreds of millions by claiming to serve meals that never happened. Fast forward to now, and the scope has exploded. Just this month, the U.S. Attorney's office revealed that fraud in Minnesota's Medicaid services alone could top $9 billion – that's right, billion with a B. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson even quipped that the system was so easy to game, it attracted "tourists" looking to cash in.
https://youtu.be/r8AulCA1aOQ?si=tsVkXs4odSvbvF_l
What's really got people fired up lately are the citizen-journalist style exposés. The power of independent media is revealing its worth now and is stepping up to do the work mainstream media should be doing. Nick Shirley, a young investigative journalist has been pounding the pavement in Minneapolis and his video above went viral yesterday.
In a single day, he and his team uncovered over $110 million in suspected fraud tied to daycares and healthcare providers. They visited addresses listed as bustling child care centers, only to find locked doors, empty buildings, and neighbors swearing they've never seen a kid in sight. One spot got $5 million over two years for "caring" for over 100 vulnerable children but when Shirley showed up, the door was slammed in his face, and no one could confirm any actual operations. Another claimed to handle 74 kids but refused entry, with locals saying it's been a ghost town forever. It's heartbreaking and infuriating – this money was meant for real needs, like feeding hungry families or supporting kids with autism, but it ended up lining pockets instead.
And it's not just daycares. There are schemes involving autism services, where folks like Abdinajib Hassan Yussuf were charged with wire fraud for fake claims. Non-medical transportation and interpreter services are riddled with issues too, where the fraud might even outweigh legitimate work. Prosecutors have filed charges against dozens more this December, bringing the total defendants in related cases to over 78 for the Feeding Our Future mess alone, with convictions piling up – 56 to 62 so far, mostly guilty pleas and trials wrapping up in 2024-2025. Most of these busts happened under the Biden administration, starting with big indictments in 2022.
Politically, this is an absolute powder keg. Governor Tim Walz is catching heat, with House Republicans launching an oversight investigation into how this ballooned on his watch. Rep. Tom Emmer's been pressing for answers on specific cases, like a daycare with a misspelled name that raked in $4 million without a single child in evidence. Some voices, like those on X, are pointing fingers at the Somali immigrant community, which has grown significantly in Minnesota and is often at the center of these allegations. Community leaders push back, saying they're vital to the economy and that fraudsters don't represent them all. But the New York Times called it "industrial-scale fraud," highlighting how brazen it was—fake invoices, shell companies, the works.
Obviously, I'm no expert, but as someone who's paid exorbitant State taxes in Minnesota since I moved here in 1995, this makes my blood boil. How did state agencies miss this? Minnesota isn't alone – similar scams have hit other states, but the scale here is staggering. And with multiple agencies now involved, from the DOJ to congressional committees, it feels like the lid's finally off. Some are even linking it to broader issues, like potential voter fraud in the Twin Cities, though that's more speculative.
What does this mean for the rest of us?
It's a wake-up call about government waste and the need for real accountability. If a 23 year old YouTuber with a camera can expose $110 million in one day, imagine what a proper audit could uncover nationwide. Kudos to folks like Shirley for shining a light – we need more of this kind of citizen journalism since the mainstream media doesn't seem interested in reporting exactly how bad this problem is.
As for Minnesota, the perpetrators and the city and state officials who’ve allowed this fraud to continue unchecked should be brought to justice, and systems better tighten up to insure this doesn’t happen again. No matter what side of the aisle your political beliefs land on it's time to admit we have a massive and systemic problem in all levels of our government. The American people deserve better.
What do you think? Is this just the tip of the iceberg?
Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and let's hope 2026 brings with it some real and lasting reforms.
All for now. Thanks so much for reading.
