‘These Rats Will Turn on Each Other’: Bessent Announces Plan to Make Minnesota Fraudsters Flip on Accomplices
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the federal government will offer whistleblower payments to encourage insiders to reveal details of a sprawling Minnesota social-services/daycare fraud scheme, aiming to recover stolen funds, prosecute those responsible, prevent future crimes, and extend investigations to other states. Speaking on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Bessent said payments will be given to peopel who provide data on who was involved, how money moved, and when decisions were made. Prosecutors have accused more than 90 people in a related federal case, and a YouTuber who investigated listed addresses found several daycare sites that appeared vacant despite receiving taxpayer money. From 2018 through 2021, five operations allegedly collected nearly $5 million through the program, with one center receiving about $1.5 million. State employees have blamed Governor Tim Walz’s administration for ignoring internal warnings, while Democratic leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Lt. Gov. peggy Flanagan, publicly defended Somali residents in the community.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the federal government plans to use financial incentives to break open a sprawling Minnesota fraud scheme by encouraging insiders to inform on one another.
Bessent said Thursday that the government will recover stolen funds, prosecute those responsible for Minnesota’s social services fraud scheme, prevent future crimes, and expand probes to similar fraud in other states.
Speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle,” Bessent said he intends to offer payments to individuals who provide detailed information about how the fraud operated, including who participated, how the money moved, and when key decisions occurred.
“We know that these rats will turn on each other. We heard today that one of the people who has been convicted of fraud, she was given $200,000 to bribe a juror, and she was so corrupt, she skimmed $80,000 of it and only tried to give a $120,000 bribe,” Bessent said. “So we are going to offer whistleblower payments to anyone who wants to tell us who, what, when, where, and how this fraud has been done. And I think that that will give us a great report on how to get it done.”
In a Dec. 26 video, YouTuber Nick Shirley said he found 10 Minnesota daycare facilities run by Somalis that showed little sign of operating despite receiving taxpayer money. After visiting the listed addresses, Shirley recorded vacant or closed locations. In a separate federal prosecution, authorities have accused more than 90 people — most with ties to Minnesota’s Somali community.
From 2018 through 2021, those five operations drew close to $5 million through the program, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, with Minnesota Best Childcare Center alone collecting about $1.5 million. Another site, Sweet Angel Child Care in Minneapolis, listed a phone line identical to that used by the office of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
State employees said in November that Walz held direct responsibility for allowing the misconduct to persist, accusing his administration of sidelining internal warnings and ignoring whistleblowers. As investigators peeled back the scheme, Democratic officials and state leaders publicly defended Somali residents, including Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who described the community as integral to the city, and Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who appeared on Somali-language television in a hijab.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
