The House Oversight Committee is investigating a “massive fraud” scheme under Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that bilked more than $1 billion from taxpayers meant for food aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)
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(by Ryan King, NY Post) – Hundreds of state workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) publicly excoriated Gov. Tim Walz for allowing a “massive fraud” scandal to unfold under his watch and retaliating against their whistleblowers.
Over $1 billion in taxpayers’ money was fleeced by dozens of scammers in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, the largest known COVID-19 fraud case in the country.
“Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,” the Minnesota DHS employees’ X account, which represents over 480 staffers, chided Saturday.
“Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation,” the account charged.
“It’s scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to.”
Just last week, the Justice Department prosecuted the 78th defendant in what prosecutors have dubbed the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. At least 59 people have been convicted so far.
During the past five years, fraudsters targeted Minnesota’s generous social safety net by setting up companies that billed the state for social services that prosecutors alleged were never actually provided.
Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit founded in 2016 that purported to help feed school children, had partnered with dozens of local businesses under the pretense of providing food aid.
The nonprofit, which dissolved in 2022, and its partners billed the state, claiming to have helped feed tens of thousands of needy children. In reality, most of that [taxpayer] money was [spent by the fraudsters] on foreign real estate projects, luxury cars, and more.
Other organizations besides Feeding Our Future committed fraud with Minnesota’s social safety net as well.
The fraud largely revolved around dozens of people in the Somali diaspora. Minnesota is home to about 80,000 Somali Americans.
“As staff, we firsthand witnessed and observed fraud happening yet we were shutdown, reassigned and told to keep quiet,” the Minnesota DHS employees’ X account alleged.
“Sometimes more. Leadership did not want to appear to discriminate against certain communities and were unwilling to take action, such as stopping fraud, that would have an adverse impact on their image.”
Federal prosecutors began charging individuals associated with Feeding Our Future in 2022. As federal investigators parsed through documents, they quickly realized that the fraud was widespread.
One homelessness program started as $2.6 million in 2021 saw its costs soar to $104 million last year, after being rife with fraud, the New York Times reported.
“Minnesota has become the land of 10,000 frauds under Tim Walz,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told The Post about the scandal.
“This is a total slap in the face to the hardworking, law-abiding people of Minnesota. The Walz administration is either too incompetent or completely unwilling to clean up their own mess.”
…The Minnesota DHS (Department of Human Services) employees’ X account also accused Walz of weakening safeguards and disempowering the Office of the Legislative Auditor during the alarming fraud.
“This is a cascade of systemic failures leading up to Tim Walz,” the workers alleged. “Agency leaders appointed by Tim Walz willfully disregarded rules and laws to keep fraud reports quiet — even to the extent of threatening families of whistleblowers.”
“We can’t fight fraud in Minnesota alone, hence why we’re appealing to the federal levels of government. We need all the help we can get.”
The Post reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
Walz, (who was Kamala Harris’ VP running-mate in the 2024 presidential election), launched his campaign for a third term as governor of Minnesota in September.
Minnesota is one of over a dozen states that don’t have term limits on its governor. But no Minnesota governor has been elected three times since gubernatorial terms were extended from two to four years in 1963.
Published at NY Post on Dec. 1, 2025. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Before answering the questions, read the “Background” below and watch the videos under “Resources.”
1. a) What two allegations did Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) employees make against Governor Tim Walz?
b) What specific actions did the DHS employees accuse Walz of taking?
2. How many Minnesota DHS workers are calling out Gov. Walz through their group X account?
3. a) How many people have so far been prosecuted over the widespread and egregious fraud?
b) How many have so far have been convicted?
4. Read the “Background” and watch the videos under “Resources” below the questions. What did the fraudsters do?
5. What is your reaction Gov. Walt and other officials treatment of the whistleblowers’ concerns?
6. Critics, including a former state fraud investigator, allege that Gov. Walz and other state officials were hesitant to aggressively audit and investigate the programs due to concerns about being accused of racism or bias against the Somali community, a major demographic involved in the fraud cases, as the perpetrators often threatened lawsuits featuring accusations of racism if their applications were denied. Critics blame Governor Walz for the widespread fraud in Minnesota for several reasons related to his administration’s perceived lax oversight, failure to act on early warnings, and alleged fear of appearing discriminatory.
Do you think they have a legitimate argument? Explain your answer.
CHALLENGE: When these fraudulent activities were investigated or reported, some officials and community members who raised concerns were accused of racism to deter further scrutiny. Read “It’s Not ‘Racist’ to Notice Somali Fraud” by Christopher Rufo (Nov. 28, 2025)
Do you think he makes a valid argument? Explain your answer.
Background
As of recent reports, 78 individuals have been charged in the wide-ranging investigation led by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS-Criminal Investigation. Of those charged, 56 have pleaded guilty, and seven others have been convicted in two separate trials.
Federal prosecutors have confirmed that some of the money stolen in the “Feeding Our Future” and other related fraud schemes in Minnesota was used to purchase real estate and property in both Kenya and Turkey.
Dozens of individuals, many of whom are of Somali descent, have been charged in multiple, intertwined fraud cases in Minnesota.
The primary scheme involved the non-profit organization “Feeding Our Future” and its affiliates, which fraudulently claimed to serve millions of meals to children during the pandemic to receive over $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, nearly all of which were never delivered.
The stolen taxpayer money was allegedly used for personal enrichment, including purchasing:
- Luxury vehicles
- Expensive homes and commercial properties in Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky
- Real estate and property in Kenya and Turkey
- Funding international travel
(Christopher Rufo notes in City Journal: “Federal counterterrorism sources confirm that millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab. As one confidential source put it: ‘The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.'”
Investigations are ongoing, and federal prosecutors continue to pursue the recovery of stolen funds. (from Google AI Overview, Dec. 4)
From a Nov. 29 New York Times report:
Over the last five years, law enforcement officials say, fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided.
Federal prosecutors say that 59 people have been convicted in those schemes so far, and that more than $1 billion in taxpayers’ money has been stolen in three plots they are investigating. That is more than Minnesota spends annually to run its Department of Corrections. …
Outrage has swelled among Minnesotans, and fraud has turned into a potent political issue in a competitive campaign season. Gov. Tim Walz and fellow Democrats are being asked to explain how so much money was stolen on their watch…
Read more:
- “For 7 of those charged in Feeding Our Future scam, trial wraps with closing arguments” – May 31, 2024
- “Asha Farhan Hassan, age 28, First Defendant Charged in Autism Fraud Scheme” – Sept 24, 2025
- “FBI recovers deleted texts showing chaos of bribe attempt by 5 accused in Feeding our Future trial” – Nov. 19
- “Abdirashid Bixi Dool, 36, 78th Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme” – Nov. 24. Dool, who allegedly claimed to serve over 40,000 meals per week at two sites, receiving around $1.1 million in funds, most of which was laundered. During his trial, Dool and others attempted to bribe one of the jurors with at least $150,000 delivered to her home. She did not accept it and instead called the police. He admitted to attempted bribery in July.
- “Abdimajid M. Nur, 24, Feeding Our Future defendant gets 10-year sentence” – Nov. 24
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