"A surge of federal officers in Minnesota follows new allegations of fraud by day care centers run by Somali residents. President Donald Trump has previously linked his administration's immigration crackdown against Minnesota's large Somali community to a series of fraud cases involving government programs in which most of the defendants have roots in the east African country. Surge in federal officers Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel both announced an increase in operations in Minnesota this week."
"The move comes after a right-wing influencer posted a video Friday claiming he had found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud. Tikki Brown, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, said at Monday news conference that state regulators took the influencer's allegations seriously. Noem posted on social media that officers were "conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud." Patel said the intent was to "dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.""
"Minnesota has been under the spotlight for years for Medicaid fraud, including a massive $300 million pandemic fraud case involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors said it was the country's largest COVID-19-related fraud scam and that defendants exploited a state-run, federally funded program intended to provide food for children. In 2022, during President Joe Biden's administration, 47 people were charged."
Federal law enforcement increased operations in Minnesota after a social media influencer alleged that Somali-run day care centers committed up to $100 million in fraud. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel announced expanded investigations and described efforts as aimed at dismantling large-scale schemes exploiting federal programs. State regulators said they took the allegations seriously. Minnesota has seen major fraud cases before, including a massive $300 million pandemic-era scheme tied to Feeding Our Future. Dozens were charged in 2022 and many defendants, most of Somali descent, have since been convicted.
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