More than 20 locations in Minneapolis were raided Tuesday as federal authorities crack down on alleged fraud linked to Somali-owned businesses in the Democrat-run state.
The targets included childcare facilities that were registered with the state but allegedly billing for care they did not provide, Fox News reported Tuesday.
Video footage shows officers exiting one of the facilities:
Sources informed the outlet two of the raids happened at Quality Learning Center and Baby Halimo Child Care which are located in Minneapolis. The ironically misspelled “Quality Learing Center” drew much attention when it was featured in citizen journalist Nick Shirley’s investigation highlighting the alleged fraud, per Breitbart News.
In December, Shirley claimed he and his team uncovered more than $110,000,000 in a single day when they visited Minneapolis to investigate. Shirley’s video showed numerous childcare facilities that were vacant or non-operational storefronts, and some were occupied by Somalis who refused to answer his questions.
After Shirley’s video went viral, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said Minnesota’s fraud scheme was a “top FBI priority.”
In a statement to Fox’s Bill Melugin, a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson said, “Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also confirmed the news, stating, “Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with our law enforcement partners executed criminal search warrants in Minneapolis relating to the rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers dollars.”
Investigative journalist A.J. Lagoe on Tuesday shared photos of officers outside a building with a sign that read “Somali Senior Center & Adult Day Services.”
In his statement regarding the raids, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) expressed his gratitude to officials for their efforts to combat the alleged fraud.
“President Trump and his administration have made it crystal clear — our country will not tolerate waste, fraud, and abuse, and we are not going to allow people to take advantage of Americans’ generosity. Thank you to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for taking action against Somali fraudsters. Minnesotans and U.S. taxpayers across the nation are grateful,” he said.
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