OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:55 PM – Monday, December 29, 2025
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the start of a “massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud” in Minneapolis on Monday, in response to an independent journalist’s reporting on massive alleged fraud tied to Somali-owned businesses.
In an X post on Monday, Noem wrote, “Homeland Security Investigations @ICEGov are on the ground in Minneapolis right now conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.”
Noem’s comment was accompanied by a video of Homeland Security Investigation officers conducting an investigation.
“DHS is on the ground in Minneapolis, going DOOR TO DOOR at suspected fraud sites. The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found. Under the leadership of [Secretary Noem], DHS is working to deliver results,” Homeland Security added in an X post.
According to a CBS News report, citing two DHS officials, Homeland Security Investigations officers are expected to investigate over 30 locations in Minneapolis on Monday alone. The announcement was in response to a bombshell report released by independent journalist Nick Shirley.
In the report, Shirley documented several trips to Minneapolis childcare centers that received millions of dollars in public funds, only to find the facilities completely closed.
One of the dormant childcare centers Shirley visited featured a misspelled sign which read “Quality Learing Center,” despite being licensed for 99 children and receiving approximately $4 million in public funds.
In total, Shirley claimed to have discovered over $100 million in stolen funds, prompting the Trump administration to take immediate action. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, he stated that the fraud scheme was “so obvious” that even a “kindergartner could figure out there is fraud going on.”
“Fraud is fraud, and we work too hard simply just to be paying taxes and enabling fraud to be happening,” he stated.
“There better be change. People are demanding it. The investigation have been launched just from that video alone. So there better be change, like I said, we work way too hard to be paying taxes and not knowing where our money’s going.”
Noem’s announcement coincides with a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who proclaimed that the Bureau has “surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”
In Patel’s Sunday statement, he detailed the work the bureau has done to indict the individuals involved in the $250 million COVID-era “Feeding Our Future” scam, when an organization was caught stealing funds meant to be utilized to feed vulnerable children during the pandemic.
“The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing,” Patel continued.
The FBI director added that many of the individuals involved in the schemes “are also being referred to immigration officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below