Exclusive | DOJ surging prosecutors to Minnesota to bring fraudsters to justice – Bondi vows ‘severe consequences’ for those convicted

The Justice Department is surging prosecutors to fraud-plagued Minnesota in an effort to crack down on criminals “robbing American taxpayers,” Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed Tuesday. 

“The Department of Justice is dispatching a team of prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce our US Attorney’s Office and put the perpetrators of this widespread fraud behind bars,” Bondi said in a statement to The Post. 

“We will deliver severe consequences in Minnesota and stand ready to deploy to any other state where similar fraud schemes are robbing American taxpayers,” the attorney general added. 

The DOJ is currently engaged in multiple active investigations related to fraud in Minnesota. 

The department has been involved in prosecuting cases connected to the $250 million Feeding our Future scandal, which saw dozens of fraudsters pilfer pandemic-era funds meant to feed hungry children.   

The DOJ is also probing fraud in the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program, intended to help vulnerable people find housing via Medicaid, and Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program, which provided funds to assist children with autism. 

To date, federal prosecutors have charged 98 defendants – of which 85 are of Somali descent – in Minnesota fraud-related cases, according to the DOJ. 

The DOJ has issued over 1,750 subpoenas, executed over 130 search warrants and conducted over 1,000 witness interviews as part of sweeping fraud-related investigations in the North Star State – which have resulted in 64 convictions.     

Independent journalist Nick Shirley put several Minnesota fraud scandals back in the spotlight last month after he reported on day care centers in the state and suggested they may be fraudulent enterprises. 

Several facilities Shirley visited in his viral video are currently under active investigation by the DOJ, the department said, noting that one of the buildings prominently featured by Shirley was linked to 13 defendants charged in fraud investigations. 

The FBI is also flooding the state with forensic accountants and data analytics teams to probe possible connections between elected officials and terrorist financing, according to DOJ.