Minnesota has been rocked by a series of escalating fraud scandals in social services programs, particularly involving autism therapy and childcare assistance, with many defendants from the state’s large Somali-American community.
Federal prosecutors have charged over 90 individuals in schemes totaling hundreds of millions—potentially billions—in stolen taxpayer funds, including false billing for autism services that never occurred and kickbacks to parents. One prominent case involves providers recruiting Somali families to enroll children without actual autism diagnoses, leading to explosive growth in program costs from $1 million in 2017 to over $220 million by 2024.
Independent journalist Nick Shirley’s recent viral video has intensified scrutiny by documenting alleged “ghost” daycare centers, many Somali-owned, that appear empty despite receiving millions in state subsidies through the Child Care Assistance Program. In the footage, Shirley visits facilities licensed for dozens of children but finds no kids, no activity, and evasive staff; one center, the Quality Learing Center (misspelling “Learning” as “Learing” on its sign), reportedly pocketed nearly $2 million in 2025 alone while showing no signs of operation. Critics argue these empty sites highlight systemic oversight failures, with Shirley claiming his team uncovered over $110 million in suspicious payments in a single day of investigations.
For weeks, public outrage has mounted, with growing calls for Governor Tim Walz to face accountability amid allegations his administration ignored red flags to avoid political backlash in the Somali community. Walz claimed he was unaware of the fraud, emphasized new prevention measures like audits and licensing requirements, and vowed to prosecute perpetrators, while attributing some issues to relaxed federal rules during the pandemic. Despite these defenses, Republican lawmakers and commentators have accused his leadership of enabling the scams through lax enforcement. Some voices, including congressional Republicans and online critics, go further, insisting Walz should face criminal charges for alleged negligence or complicity in allowing billions to be siphoned while expanding welfare access for immigrant communities.
We want to ask you, the reader: should Gov. Walz be criminally charged? Answer in our poll below and comment your thoughts on the scandals unfolding in Minnesota.
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