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Bring in More Prosecutors: Finally Ending Minnesota’s ‘Never-Ending’ Somali Fraud Schemes Requires Reinforcements

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.”

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