JUST IN: Minnesota fraud scandal EXPANDS

Fox News covers what it describes as an expanding fraud scandal in Minnesota, focusing on alleged misuse of state program funds. The segment features Alpha News journalist Liz Collin discussing findings from a recent press conference and her own investigative visits to businesses reportedly receiving government payments.

According to Collin in the video, first assistant US attorney Joe Thompson announced at a press conference that $18 billion was paid out through 14 specific programs he examined. Collin alleges that Thompson stated “more than half of that money seems to be fraudulent,” and when a reporter asked if this could amount to as much as $10 billion, Thompson allegedly replied “absolutely.” Fox News presents these figures as representing what Collin calls “explosive growth” in these programs over recent years.

The journalist claims she personally visited a dozen sites this week based on tips from readers and viewers. According to Collin, all of the locations “seem fraudulent,” describing them as “empty adult daycares, empty autism clinics, no kids in sight.” She alleges these businesses have “strange Google reviews that seem almost written in AI” and “what even look to be phony websites.” Collin states that publicly available databases show these entities receiving “hundreds of thousands of dollars” or “millions of dollars” when totaled over recent years. The video shows Collin describing luxury vehicles parked at some of these allegedly vacant business locations.

Regarding where the money allegedly went, Collin claims Thompson detailed funds being “funneled to other countries,” specifically mentioning Kenya. She lists other alleged purchases including “a semi-truck,” expensive homes, and international travel. When pressed by the host about identifying the perpetrators, Collin alleges that “more times than not, they are traced back to Somali names,” stating this information is visible online. She claims that 90% of those charged by the US attorney’s office are Somali, and “four of the six” charged on the day of the press conference were as well.

Collin emphasizes that the allegedly fraudulent operations remain “still all open” as of her recent visits, suggesting the full scope of the alleged fraud remains unknown. The Fox News host characterizes Collin’s work as “incredible reporting” on what he calls an “incredibly important” story.

In Fox News’s Own Words

“More than half of that money seems to be fraudulent and a reporter asked as much as 10 billion and he quickly said absolutely.”

“This week we visited a dozen sites and to be honest they all seem fraudulent. Empty adult daycares, empty autism clinics, no kids in sight.”

“More times than not, they are traced back to Somali names. 90% of those that have been charged now by the US attorney’s office are Somali.”

This story matters because it involves allegations of massive fraud in government assistance programs, potentially totaling billions of dollars in taxpayer funds. The claims raise questions about oversight mechanisms for state-funded social services and the effectiveness of fraud detection systems in identifying allegedly fictitious businesses receiving public money.