Minnesota Somalis' Covid $250 million Covid fraud scheme under Tim Walz was worst in US: report

The single worst Covid relief fraud in the United States occurred in Minnesota, while Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) was managing the state. CNN reported Friday that the fraud was born in the Somali community of Minneapolis, just as another Somali refugee who ran a state public housing agency admitted to stealing millions.

The network noted how fraud has increasingly been identified with Minnesota and is becoming the rule, not the exception.

The House Education and Workforce Committee has already subpoenaed Waz over his response to what has now been described as the largest Covid relief fraud generated in not just Minnesota but the US. The committee also subpoenaed the Minnesota Department of Education and the US Department of Agriculture. At the heart of the scandal are 47 Somali immigrants who have been charged with the theft of $250 million in federal COVID funding.

During Walz’s tenure as governor, a phony Somali charity titled “Feeding Our Future” took millions of dollars in government money that was supposed to assist children and families during the pandemic and used it instead to buy high-priced homes, luxury cars, upscale clothing and travel packages. Although Walz took credit for being alert to stop the fraud before it could claim even more financial abuse, CNN discovered that the Walz Department of Education actually made it easier to get away with this kind of massive fraud.

CNN cited a state audit that noted the Minnesota Department of Education’s “actions and inactions created opportunities for fraud,” while the MDE “failed to act on warning signs.” Minnesota Republican House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth told CNN that the governor should own the responsibility for this fraud.

“When he is not holding any commissioners responsible, then yes, Gov. Walz is responsible for the fraud that has been ongoing in the state of Minnesota,” Demuth said.

But Walz has done little to take responsibility for the scandal or even insist there be consequences for it. He has not fired anyone associated with the swindle or any of the 16 incidents of fraud cited by state audits. CNN noted how “Walz has been a hands-off leader when it comes to seeking accountability for episodes of fraud and mismanagement on his watch.”

“What’s more, some state agencies headed by his appointees have responded defensively in recent months to the audits — a dynamic that [Judy] Randall, who has worked in the department for 26 years, has found surprising,” the media outlet revealed, saying a “culture of unaccountability” pervades the Walz administration. The one thing that Walz want accountability for was violating his pandemic mandates and lockdowns, For this he established a snitch line for people to report on their neighbors.

The Feeding Our Future fraud is hardly the solitary case of Covid relief fraud in Minnesota. Thieves have stolen $550 million when all the pandemic swindles are added up, Breitbart noted.