What We're "Learing" About MN Mess

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We welcome on to the program from Fox News Radio.
Frequent contributor here on Nebraska's Morning News. It's Jeff Minasso, who,
like a lot of people, have been looking at this
situation in Minnesota and over the last few days wondering, Jeff,
who is Nick Shirley? What can you tell us about
this guy?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, I'm wondering where you want me to start? And
actually I guess you just answer that or how much
time do you have to fight a lot to get
to and Nike Sureley's an independent journalist who popped into
to minneapolish for for a day or so and started
knocking on doors and looking at at you know, mt

(00:39):
daycare centers that he found or inactive daycare centers or
other facilities, you know, Somali run businesses, public service operations,
transportation services, healthcare providers that had received millions and millions
of dollars in federal and state aid. They were empty
or shut down or closed. Uh. And you know he

(01:01):
went into one building it was like a storage unit. Okay,
it's this big, this big, kind of barren looking industrial
building with with with dozens of healthcare companies. They were
all basically like storage lockers and uh, nobody there and
and so you know, his report was forty two minutes long.

(01:22):
I think he had five hundred followers the beginning of
the week. He's got over over a million now and
his his his expose has received over over one hundred
million views. So it's viral and it's prompting a lot
of a lot of stuff. First of all, Republicans in
the state of Minnesota now calling on Governor Tom Wallace

(01:44):
to resign, they say for failing to stop billions of
dollars in fraud under under his watch. They say that
the red flags have been there. They were there year
after year, the fraud kept growing, nothing changed. Hundreds of
whistleblowers have also previously come forward with them in the
last couple of months to say that they've been flagging
this fraud within the Somali community in Minneapolis, in and

(02:07):
around Minneapolis. They've informed the state, they informed the governor
that nothing was ever done. A lot of them went
in and went to the governor in twenty twenty four
when he was the vice presidential candidate for the Democrat Party.
They also say they've been retaliated against for blowing the
whistle on the fraud. About a week and a half ago,

(02:27):
we heard from the US Attorney's office in Minnesota, the
Northern District, who was looking into making arrests and charging
some members of the Somaldi community, saying that that of
the eighteen billion dollars in Medicaid money spent in Minnesota
under Tim Walls's watch on healthcare, autism, housing, education, government programs,

(02:49):
that nine billion, maybe even more, is believed to have
been stolen in what he says could be the largest
theft of taxpayer dollars in US history.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
So, Jeff Wyn is Nick Shirley going to go to
California because California has a hell of a lot more
fraud than Minnesota. And the argument and the argument is
that they are targeting the Somali community. Maybe it really
deserves it up there is is anybody really confused about
how much medicaid fraud is going on across the country.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Well, look, we're seeing we're seeing evidence of that with
investigation and arrests in many states, Maine and others in
New York. And so this story has legs and it's
a big deal. I can tell you that the Department
of Homeland Security is now on the ground in Minnesota,
going door to door visiting suspected fraud sites. Pam Bondi

(03:42):
says she's on it. The Walls Administration has released a
statement saying that the governor has worked for years to
crack down on fraud and strengthened oversight, including launching investigations
into facilities, much of which happened after the probe, after
after people started getting arrested. Uh And they they say
they they've been launching investigations in the facilities, one of

(04:04):
which has already been closed. They're referring to the Leering Center.
That's the learning center that was misspelled that they really
went to. They say, no, no, no, that that was closed.
That's that's why it was empty. Well, reporters went there yesterday.
It was full of kids. So what's up.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Where did they find these kids?

Speaker 3 (04:22):
Right?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Well, well, well, well it's alleged that they're being bust in.
Parents get their check and then they come pick up
the kids, and and and but that's all allegations I
can tell you. On the the Walls Administration contests that
there's no evidence of fraud, that it that it was
rampant uh in in in these cases. But they also

(04:46):
say that it's unfair to target one community, referring to
the sobals, Tim Walls his own words that white men
commence just as much fraud, and there's there's there's also
controversy on account of build. There's a judge in Minnesota
currently facing backlash for overturning the conviction of a Simali
man who was found found guilty of stealing seven million

(05:09):
dollars in medicaid fund to fund his lavish lifestyle. The
Heedn'tund County judge is named Sarah West. This guy was
convicted by jury a jury, then she overturned it, saying
that that that the conviction relied on substantially substantially on
circumstantial evidence. Uh, that that that the state failed to

(05:29):
prove that this guy knowingly participated in fraud. So the
jury for four person beside himself saying that that the
evidence was was massive. Uh, and it was obvious that
this guy's guilt and that's why we foundhim guilty based
on the evidence. And so we'll see if the Feds
can can bring accountability, but there's doubt on whether local

(05:52):
local officials can do that.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
It's a half and half deal. The states pay for
half of Medicaid, the Feds pay for the other half.
Who's responsible for oversight? Is there enough oversight? Could you
possibly investigate all of these hundreds and hundreds of daycare centers,
whether they are run by Somalis or run by other folks?
And to suggest that, of course only Somalis are defrauding

(06:14):
the government is ridiculous and nonsense. But the answer is
the answer a federal law or federal enhanced overside, Jeff,
or is the answer local oversight? How much of an
army of investigators can the federal government send all fifty
states to monitor Medicaid and medicare fraud?

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, it's tough. I mean medic Communicaid and Medicare fraud
is rapid across the country. You're right, it's not just
one community, but what's unfolding in and around Minneapolis certainly
centering around one community, and again much of it which
is allegations, but pretty damning stuff. In terms of this report,

(06:56):
this viral video, this xposa that was put on, and
again there's been local recording on the similar stories for years,
never great gain any traction. But this story is that
you referred to from Nick Shirley it's certainly it's got
its teeth into it, and we'll see what happened.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, just because you say it's hard, it doesn't mean
that there aren't mechanisms available to find out what is
going on with this money. If I don't pay my taxes,
they're going to find me. You know, all the millions
and millions of taxpayers in America, I don't pay my taxes,
they're going to find me. Nine billion dollars of federal
taxpayer money lost and ninety two people charged, eighty two

(07:34):
or Somali's in Minnesota. They should have a state auditor
who's working just as hard as Nebraska said, just try
and track this down. Hey, Jeff, thank you so much
for the report. Happy new Year, Thank you very much
for the time this week. Thank you, Jeff and Asso
Fox News Radio here on Nebraska's morning news, traffic, weather,
and a news update. If you miss the Rosie to

(07:54):
Genozi yesterday on the subject, you'll find it under the
Jim Rose podcast link at kfa B dot com.