Woke negligence fuels billion-dollar fraud scandal in Minnesota on Gov. Tim Walz’s watch
- A $1 billion fraud scheme stole funds from Minnesota child nutrition and social programs.
- Prosecutors say the fraud primarily operated within the state’s Somali community over five years.
- Officials ignored warnings due to fears of being accused of racism and political backlash.
- The most notable case involved the nonprofit Feeding Our Future during the pandemic.
- Governor Tim Walz’s administration has faced intense criticism for its failed oversight.
A staggering betrayal of public trust has unfolded in Minnesota, revealing how progressive policies and political cowardice enabled criminals to steal more than $1 billion from taxpayers. Federal prosecutors have detailed a sprawling fraud epidemic that festered for five years, primarily within the state’s Somali diaspora, while Governor Tim Walz’s administration stood by. This isn’t just a story of greed; it’s a damning indictment of a woke political regime that prioritized racial optics over basic accountability, allowing the social safety net to be gutted by brazen criminals.
The scale is almost unimaginable. Authorities say $1 billion was stolen from programs meant to feed children, house the homeless, and provide therapy for autistic kids. That sum exceeds the state’s entire annual budget for its Department of Corrections. To date, 59 people have been convicted in three major schemes. This fraud didn’t just happen in the shadows; it flourished because those in power looked away.
The most infamous scheme involved Feeding Our Future, a Minneapolis nonprofit. During the pandemic, it partnered with local businesses to claim reimbursements for tens of thousands of meals that were never served. Instead, funds bought luxury cars, homes, and international real estate. This was just the beginning. Later schemes involved inflated claims for homelessness services and a cynical plot that recruited Somali children for fake autism therapy, paying their parents kickbacks.
Fear of racism accusations paralyzed oversight
Red flags waved furiously early on. State education officials questioned suspicious invoices from Feeding Our Future in 2020. The nonprofit’s response? It threatened the state with a discrimination lawsuit, warning that challenging “minority-owned businesses” would lead to accusations of racism “sprawled across the news.” Faced with this, the Walz administration backed down. The money spigot stayed on.
This pattern of regulatory surrender defined the scandal. A report by Minnesota’s nonpartisan legislative auditor confirmed that threats of litigation and negative press crippled oversight. Kayseh Magan, a former state fraud investigator, explained the political calculus: “There is a perception that forcefully tackling this issue might cause political backlash among the Somali community, which is a core voting bloc” for Democrats.
Federal prosecutor Joseph H. Thompson, who oversaw the cases, was candid about the climate of fear. “This was a huge part of the problem,” he said. “Allegations of racism can be a reputation or career killer.” He connected the dots to the post-George Floyd era in Minneapolis, where heightened racial sensitivities paralyzed enforcement. The result was a feeding frenzy for fraudsters.
Governor Walz’s response has been a masterclass in deflection. He acknowledged pandemic policies prioritized speed over safeguards, stating, “The programs are set up to move the money to people… and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes.” Now seeking a third term, he’s announced a task force and promises of AI-driven detection. This is too little, too late. The scandal is so profound that even the liberal New York Times was forced to torch his administration’s negligence.
The fallout has been severe. More than 400 employees of the Minnesota Department of Human Services publicly accused Walz of ignoring warnings and retaliating against whistleblowers. They claimed on social media, “Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression.” The governor’s office did not rebut these specific claims.
The Minnesota saga is a warning for every state. It exposes what happens when identity politics trump the rule of law, when officials are more afraid of being called a name than of stopping a crime. A billion dollars is gone, and it’s money that should have fed hungry children and housed vulnerable families.
Sources for this article include:
ZeroHedge.com
NYTimes.com
FoxNews.com
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