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Another Fraud Found In Minnesota

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[DeFacto, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons]
Walt RasingerBy
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A new on-the-ground video investigation by conservative journalist and social media influencer Nick Shirley is renewing scrutiny of Minnesota’s taxpayer-funded nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) program—this time framing the alleged abuses as yet another Somali-linked fraud ring operating within the state’s Medicaid system.

It’s starting to seem that there’s alot more than $9 billion that’s been stolen in Minnesota. No wonder they had so much cash moving through the Minneapolis Airport.

The NEMT program uses Medicaid dollars to provide rides—often through taxi services—to low-income and medically vulnerable residents for medical appointments and essential services. In his video, Shirley visits multiple Minneapolis addresses listed as taxi or transportation companies, many reportedly operated by members of the Somali community. He documents locations that appear empty or inactive, lacking visible vehicles, business signage, or any indication of day-to-day operations. Several visits result in confrontations with individuals on site, while Shirley notes the absence of verifiable records such as schedules, ride logs, or proof that transportation services were actually provided.

Shirley characterizes the transportation providers as a core component of a broader alleged fraud network. “These transportation companies are what hold all the aid and welfare fraud together,” he says in the footage, arguing that they function as a billing backbone for coordinated schemes involving daycare centers, adult care programs, and healthcare entities. According to Shirley, the model creates the appearance of legitimate services while siphoning Medicaid reimbursements. His collaborator, David Hoch, offers a blunt assessment: “We’re shining the light on the fraud, and they have no defense.”

The investigation has been amplified by additional claims circulating online. A TikTok video posted by a self-described former drug addict alleges that some Somali taxi drivers paid him to sign ride receipts for trips that never occurred, enabling drivers to submit Medicaid bills for nonexistent transportation.

Mainstream reporting has acknowledged that the vulnerabilities exposed in Shirley’s video are not new. The Minnesota Star Tribune has reported that nonemergency medical transportation has long been considered highly susceptible to fraud, with repeated warnings from industry insiders going unheeded. Scott Isaacson, president of the Minnesota R-80 Transportation Coalition, told the paper that workers in the sector have “been ringing the fraud bell for quite some time,” pointing to structural weaknesses that invite abuse.

Spending data from the Minnesota Department of Human Services underscores the scale of the program. State records show NEMT billings rising from roughly $80 million in 2018 to more than $115 million by 2024, before declining to about $88 million last year—figures that critics argue reflect years of lax oversight.

Concerns over the program date back more than 15 years. The Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor previously faulted the state for exercising “little statewide oversight” of medical transportation providers, including taxis. The audit cited excessive mileage claims, unnecessary trips, and weak authorization standards. Prosecutors have since described schemes in which interpreters and providers directed clients to distant appointments to inflate billings, even when closer options were available.

Even Ilhan Omar is starting to take heat for all the fraud allegedly happening in her state by the community she claims to be more loyal to than anything else, including the United States.

Federal officials in the Trump administration have tied the latest allegations to a broader probe into Minnesota’s political and nonprofit ecosystem. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking earlier this month with conservative activist Christopher Rufo, outlined a deliberate strategy to build comprehensive cases involving fraud, kickbacks, and racketeering linked to Minnesota’s Democratic political network.

“My personal motto, and the Treasury motto, is move deliberately and fix things,” Bessent said. “You’re not going to see headlines tomorrow. You’re not going to see them next week, but in a month, or a quarter, once we get people in the bear trap, they’re not getting out because we will have conclusive evidence to present.” He added that investigators expect plea deals from lower-level participants to identify higher-ranking figures. “I think that they will have to make plea deals … to turn in higher-ups to help us map out how this happened,” Bessent said.

Bessent described Minnesota as a testing ground for a wider enforcement effort, signaling that similar Somali-linked fraud models could be targeted nationwide. “We’re going to take this Minnesota strategy map to the other 49 states,” he said.

The allegations have intensified pressure on state and federal officials to tighten Medicaid oversight in Minnesota, as auditors and investigators continue examining high-risk programs long criticized for weak controls and repeated abuse.

[Read More: Trump To Cut Off Aid To Certain Cities]

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