A Minneapolis day care at the center of a viral fraud exposé is denying wrongdoing amid intensifying scrutiny of Minnesota’s massive, multibillion-dollar welfare fraud scandal. The Quality “Learing” Center, spotlighted for a misspelled sign and appearing abandoned during alleged business hours, suddenly saw a flurry of activity just days after being featured in an investigative video.
The center, flagged in a widely viewed clip by YouTuber Nick Shirley, was seen nearly empty despite claims of serving 99 children. Shirley questioned a staff member in the video, asking, “You do realize there’s supposed to be 99 children here in this building, and there’s no one here?”
On Monday, however, a New York Post stakeout recorded about 20 children and a full parking lot—behavior described by a local resident as “highly unusual.” The neighbor told reporters, “That parking lot is empty all the time… I was under the impression that place is permanently closed.”
Ibrahim Ali, 26, son of the facility’s owners, told The Post that the video misrepresented the center and claimed Shirley visited before their stated operating hours of 2 to 10 p.m. He defended the business, dismissed the fraud claims, and blamed a “graphic designer” for the embarrassing misspelling on the center’s sign.
The resurfaced attention comes amid a sweeping federal investigation into alleged fraud in Minnesota’s taxpayer-funded day care and social service programs. Authorities estimate up to $9 billion may have been siphoned through fake attendance records, bogus service claims, and phantom facilities—many tied to nonprofits and businesses with connections to the Somali immigrant community.
While Quality Learning has not been officially named in the federal probe, its sudden publicity has placed it in the spotlight. The confrontation escalated when a center employee told a Post reporter, “Get the f–k out of here,” as another recorded the encounter on a phone. A woman at the door denied all accusations: “We don’t have fraud. That’s a lie… I want to talk to my lawyer.”
Meanwhile, another day care, ABC Learning Center—located just miles away—was visited by ICE agents Monday morning. Staff provided two months of attendance records as part of the ongoing investigation. Its director, Ahmed Hasan, described fear among workers: “We were scared to open the door,” referencing both the viral video and the law enforcement visit.
Hasan claimed the focus on Somali-owned day cares is politically motivated: “It’s a targeted situation… a political game.”
