The move comes as federal authorities continue unraveling what began as a pandemic-era welfare fraud investigation and has since expanded into multiple state and federal benefit programs. In 2022, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the first indictments in the Feeding Our Future case, a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization accused of exploiting federal child nutrition programs for personal gain. Garland described the scheme, estimated at roughly $250 million, as the largest COVID-19 relief fraud uncovered at the time.

Under Bondi, the DOJ has continued to pursue Feeding Our Future defendants while broadening its focus to related schemes, including alleged juror bribery, healthcare fraud, and misuse of Medicaid-funded programs. DOJ officials now say the scale of the fraud is larger than initially understood, with additional criminal charges expected as new prosecutors arrive in the state.

Federal investigators are also investigating allegations of fraud involving Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program, which operates through Medicaid, and the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, which provides services for children with autism.

To date, prosecutors have charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases and secured 64 convictions, according to the DOJ. The vast majority of those charged are of Somali descent.

Department officials say they have issued more than 1,750 subpoenas, executed over 130 search warrants, and conducted more than 1,000 witness interviews as part of the investigations.

Viral fraud allegations have also opened the floodgates of scrutiny toward Minnesota’s political leadership. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison met in 2021 with individuals who were later convicted in fraud cases, a fact that has drawn renewed attention as the investigations widen.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who recently ended his bid for reelection, has also faced questions over oversight failures as billions of dollars in state and federal funds flowed through programs now under investigation.

The Trump administration has paired the criminal investigations with broader administrative action.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services froze billions of dollars in federal funding for child care and social service programs in five Democrat-led states, including Minnesota, pending audits of how the funds were used. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also arrested several noncitizens convicted of fraud as part of related enforcement efforts.

TRUMP TO CUT $10 BILLION IN CHILD CARE FUNDING FOR FIVE BLUE STATES

Public attention intensified last month after independent journalist Nick Shirley released a viral video highlighting day care centers in Minnesota that received public funds. Several of the facilities featured in the video are still under active investigation, according to the DOJ.

The FBI has supplemented the DOJ’s efforts by deploying forensic accountants and data analytics teams to Minnesota to trace financial flows and identify potential links between fraud networks and public officials, according to the department.