Scott Johnson writes for the Washington Free Beacon about the need for reinforcements in the fight against Somali welfare fraud.
Nick Shirley’s video tour of 10 Somali daycare sites in the Twin Cities has drawn attention yet again to the massive public programs fraud committed by an almost exclusive cast of Somali Minnesotans. Shirley may have made some mistakes, but he seems to be on to something.
Shirley’s video raises an alarm about the administration of the Child Care Assistance Program by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. In 2019, a devastating report by Minnesota’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Auditor investigated a whistleblower’s claim that the program was riddled with fraud to the tune of $100 million. Legislative Auditor James Nobles limited his findings of fraud to amounts established in criminal convictions—$5 to $6 million at the time. However, Nobles called out the program for lax oversight and laughably inadequate controls. As he stated in a column last week, the department’s permissive approach “made it easy for fraudsters to steal.” …
… The many, many people just learning about the brazen thefts perpetrated from federally funded Minnesota programs—mostly, those lucky enough not to live here—are justifiably outraged by the latest round of reporting and wondering what can be done about what prosecutors have described as “industrial-scale fraud.”
Federal authorities are keenly aware of the problem, are pursuing cases, and are overwhelmed by the volume of fraud. They literally don’t have enough manpower to tackle it all. Concerned citizens should demand that prosecutors be added to the team working out of the office of the United States Attorney for Minnesota. The chant should be to send reinforcements.
At a press conference in September, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson all but shouted his takeaway from the rooftop: Minnesota is drowning in fraud—fraud in Medicaid programs designed and administered by the state of Minnesota—and, I would add, under the noses of Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
