Its definitely not NEWS to a lot of public workers and representatives in Minnesota. Big NEWs for the constituents except Somali. Government and waste is not surprising, just the scale and funds going to actual terrorists.

Consider the Minnesota yearly Tax Revenue yields about $33bn. Somali fraud represents 1/3 of that. Based on more cowboy style journalistic antics, probably way more been going on for two decades.

I recall flipping burgers as a youngling. Even burger joint manager could keep better track of his loot than our army of highly educated State workers and representatives.

This post was edited by RedFromWinter on Dec 29 2025 06:57am

Its a big fraud but not that big, they added up the multiyear total so its like 2 billion per year average but the reason its out now is that it ballooned so absurdly it was undeniable. 40x the payouts to programs in 2024 compared to 2019. Maybe 3-4 billion in the last year at this rate given acceleration since its geometric growth. So if their fraud is like 10% of the budget and they are only 2% of the population and about 90% are tax burdens rather than payers even without fraud, that puts it into perspective.

It's starting to close the gap on the top ranked government fraud schemes in our US history. Also, the optics of the money being defrauded from programs specifically allocated for the most vulnerable amplifies the crime. I get it's not as big relative to the firehose of money that flows through the government.

the real lynchpin on why it matters is funneling the cash back to literal terrorists in Somalia. criminals stealing taxpayer cash is bad, but its nothing you cant find in any major city. tax payer cash going to RPGs in Somalia is wild stuff tho.

the next chapter will be transportation. apparently 1020 companies exist in MN for "non emergency medical transportation", over 800 are Somali owned. basically taxis for dentist, doctor, or eye appts for poor people who can't drive. MN sent massive checks to companies that logged rides for people that didnt exist, just somalis driving around logging miles to get paid many times over what UBER would pay.

A few yeses and noes, its up there with the biggest frauds in US history, not at Bernie Madoff levels but getting there. But that 10 billion over 5-6 years is still only a tenth the size of the MN state budget and MN only paid about 1/3 of these programs, federal taxpayers are scammed twice as hard. But thats the real bottom line, the vast amounts of stolen money. Average taxpayers dont care whether their stolen funds are buying abdul in somalia a gunner hilux or buying ahmed in minnesota a suburban. We literally dont care if Somalis are killing each other in Somalia or Somaliland or Puntland. In fact most Americans never heard of the latter two. We care they defrauded their way into the country and live off our welfare and stole another 10 billion on top. Hell that 10 billion probably isnt even half of the true stolen benefits, those entitled to citizens, when they stole citizenship

100%. you see the same in all polling on immigration. come in illegally but do cash work in construction and pay cash for a place to live, only a small % want that person deported immediately. but come in illegally, take social security benefits, live in a paid for apartment, get a free phone, and get medical work done on taxpayer dime? deport has a high % support. not even a mountain of "ASYLUM SEEKER" narratives can move the number much.

I want to put it into perspective with an immigrant I know. He lived near me years ago, he came from Cambodia. He had a college education in engineering, material sciences iirc but it made him a target for the Khmer Rouge. He got out alive, his family ransomed him in exchange for several large bags of rice and he escaped to Minnesota. Where he put himself hard at work running a Chinese buffet. Took on loans that were hard to find, managed everything himself, turned to people like me to chip in and set up his systems when it would cost too much. Sent his daughter to college, sold his business, that was the last I saw him but I knew he was putting money away and doing things the right way, the hard way.

He made less money in decades than some Somali putting up an AI prompt generated sign in a window at a vacant office building and sending invoices to the state.

Seems the Navy doesn't have ships on the Great Lakes, anymore. :/

This post was edited by Ghot on Dec 29 2025 04:57pm

What's the sentiment regarding how this came to be? Lack of oversight and accountability for social services such that this is likely to be an issue broader than within the Somali community; or, intentional lack of oversight as as to court the Somali community?