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The FBI has sent additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to target what it describes as large-scale fraud schemes involving federal programs, FBI Director Kash Patel said Sunday.
“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,” Patel wrote in a post on X.
“Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide,” he added.
“The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg,” Patel wrote. “We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing.”
The announcement comes amid concerns in Minnesota following reports alleging that multiple Somali-run daycare centers received millions of dollars in public funding despite having few or no enrolled children. The reporting has raised questions about potential fraud and failures in state oversight.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has pointed to Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community as a focus of investigations into alleged misuse of federal funds intended for social services. CBS News has reported that most defendants charged in major fraud cases recently announced in Minnesota are of Somali descent, citing the U.S. attorney’s office for the district.
President Donald Trump has cited those cases in criticizing Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 election.
Patel’s post followed the release of an online video documenting daycare facilities described as inactive or minimally staffed despite receiving public funding. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., shared the video on social media and called on Walz to respond. Vice President JD Vance shared the report with his followers the following day.
“Tim Walz sat idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking Minnesotans. What Walz refused to address for SEVEN YEARS, Nick Shirley uncovered in ONE DAY,” Emmer wrote. “The fraud in Minnesota is so brazen and so vast that it’s IMPOSSIBLE Walz’s administration didn’t know about it.”
