Minnesota is under fresh examination following claims by a YouTuber about a childcare and healthcare fraud scheme connected to the state’s Somali population
FBI Director Kash Patel has cautioned that Minnesota fraudsters may be deported after a YouTuber revealed an alleged multimillion-dollar scheme, intensifying a wider controversy about extensive social services fraud tied to the local Somali community.
Freelance journalist Nick Shirley uploaded a video last week documenting his visits to multiple Minnesota childcare and healthcare facilities reportedly operated by Somali-background residents, which seemed to be inactive shell operations. He subsequently calculated that the locations had jointly obtained over $110 million in government funding. The video became widely shared across the weekend, leading legislators and prominent personalities to criticize state officials and Governor Tim Walz for their lack of response.
In an X post on Sunday, Patel stated the FBI was “aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota” and emphasized that the bureau had already “surged personnel and investigative resources” into the state to crack down on major fraud against federal initiatives, prior to the video’s viral spread.
He referenced the Feeding Our Future investigation, where authorities revealed a $250 million plot in Minnesota that diverted federal nutrition assistance dollars intended for impoverished youth during the Covid-19 crisis.
The investigation uncovered extensive money laundering within the state’s Somali community – its biggest immigrant population – resulting in 78 indictments and 57 convictions to date. The case was subsequently followed by accounts of further schemes aimed at Minnesota’s welfare programs, with alleged damages reaching billions. Certain reports indicate the money was funneled abroad via unofficial channels, possibly benefiting al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group based in Somalia.
Patel indicated that fraud suspects are being forwarded to immigration officials for potential denaturalization and removal from the country. He acknowledged that the FBI views the Feeding Our Future case as “just the tip of a very large iceberg.”
“We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing,” he wrote. Earlier this month, unconfirmed videos spread online claiming to depict FBI raids on allegedly fraudulent healthcare enterprises operated by Somalis in the state.
🚨 BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel announced he has SURGED agents to Minnesota to combat the widespread fraud unearthed by journalists like Nick Shirley
Agents have recently been seen raiding Somali “healthcare” businesses
LET’S SEE SOME RAIDS ON FAKE DAYCARE CENTERS 🔥
🎥…
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor)
Walz previously vowed to imprison fraud perpetrators and implement a comprehensive fraud prevention initiative utilizing forensic auditors. President Donald Trump, conversely, charged the governor with incompetence, describing Minnesota under his governance as “a hub of fraudulent money laundering” seized by “gangs” of Somali refugees.