Minnesota has been rocked by a series of massive fraud scandals targeting taxpayer-funded social services programs, with losses potentially exceeding $9 billion since 2018, according to federal prosecutors. That appears to be just the tip of the iceberg as independent journalist Nick Shirley recently exposed further scams involving daycare and healthcare businesses that appear to be fraudulent fronts.
The original schemes—primarily involving child nutrition programs during the COVID-19 era, autism therapy services, housing stabilization aid, and other Medicaid benefits—have largely implicated individuals from the state’s Somali-American community. Dozens of defendants, nearly all of Somali descent, have been charged in connection with these cases, including the infamous Feeding Our Future scandal that alone defrauded at least $250 million intended for feeding hungry children.