FBI Director Kash Patel released a statement on the fraud investigation unfolding in Minnesota, declaring that the agency has uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a fraud scheme.
“The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide,” Patel wrote on X, noting that the FBI “dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID.”
“The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,” he explained, going on to explain that 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.
Patel’s statement was prompted by a viral video on social media by journalist Nick Shirley, who exposed systemic abuse within state-funded childcare assistance programs. Some centers were receiving payments for children who were not actually present, echoing long-standing conservative concerns about weak oversight in social spending programs.
“We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable,” Shirley wrote. “We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped.”
