FBI announces surge to fight Somali fraud in Minnesota after viral Nick Shirley exposé

Republican lawmakers are calling on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be “held accountable” following new scrutiny over the scale of alleged Somali aid fraud in the state.

A video posted this week by independent journalist Nick Shirley documents the alleged widespread fraud involving state-funded daycare centers. Shirley visited several facilities receiving Minnesota government aid, including the Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis. The center displayed a misspelled sign reading “Quality Learing Center,” had a largely empty parking lot, and appeared to have few, if any, children present despite reportedly receiving $4 million in public funding.

As Shirley attempted to enter the building to speak with staff about the operation, he was confronted by a woman who accused him of being an ICE agent.

The footage quickly gained traction on X and prompted renewed criticism from Republican officials, who argue that billions of dollars in aid in the state, largely being used by the Somali community, have gone to programs that do not appear to exist or operate as intended.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth wrote on X, “Fraud is easy to find — if you’re willing to look for it. Many of these seemingly vacant businesses have been cited by the Walz admin for licensing violations which should have made it easy to catch and stop millions from being stolen.”

Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer also weighed in, posting, “$4 million of hard-earned tax dollars going to an education center that can’t even spell learning correctly. Care to explain this one, Tim Walz?” 

The criticism extended beyond Minnesota, with New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler calling for criminal consequences for those involved. He said the individuals should be “arrested and prosecuted,” and added that Walz needs “to be held accountable” for rampant fraud in the state.

“Congress should hold a hearing immediately and start getting answers,” Lawler said.

Vice President JD Vance also addressed the controversy in a post on Saturday, writing, “What’s happening in Minnesota is a microcosm of the immigration fraud in our system. Politicians like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich. But it’s a zero sum game, and they’re stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans.”

Amid the growing backlash, Walz posted an image of his cat sitting on the floor on Saturday with the caption “happy caturday,” a move that drew further criticism from opponents as it indicated he is largely ignoring the fraud allegations in his state.

On Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel issued a statement clarifying that the FBI is aware of the fraud allegations in Minnesota, explaining that even before the viral video post on X, the FBI had poured more resources into the state to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.” Patel noted that the FBI has dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID, as well as money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network. The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.

“The FBI believes this is 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 added. “Furthermore, many are also being referred to [immigration] officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible."