A 23-year-old impartial YouTube journalist’s video exposing examples of what he calls “doubtlessly the most important fraud scandal in U.S. historical past” in Minnesota has racked up greater than 90 million views in simply two days on X and YouTube, accelerating a cascading narrative round abuse of social providers centered totally on the state’s Somali inhabitants.
Within the 42-minute video, Nick Shirley, sporting a gray hoodie and dealing with a fellow impartial investigator he identifies solely as “David,” visits a sequence of social-service oriented companies in and across the Twin Cities to confront “the people who find themselves making tens of millions of {dollars}” from social providers together with meal packages, housing help and well being providers – although the largest piece appears to be childcare facilities, the place Shirley reveals up throughout weekday enterprise hours to search out no kids current.
David says his private inquiry, which has included his personal analysis and sources on the statehouse in St. Paul, has uncovered greater than 1,000 fraudulent service-oriented companies, greater than 800 of that are Somali-owned. He says he started investigating when he seen childless day-care facilities and drivers for a “non-emergency medical transportation” service primarily based close to his workplace that by no means carried any passengers.
Within the video, Shirley says the schemes’ now-estimated $9 billion in purported pilfered public funds is “a lot fraud it may virtually change your entire GDP of Somalia,” which is estimated at $12 billion.
“Right here is the complete 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this is perhaps my most essential work but,” Shirley wrote within the viral X put up. “We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Prefer it and share it round like wildfire! Its time to carry these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We ALL work approach too arduous and pay an excessive amount of in taxes for this to be occurring, the fraud have to be stopped.”
Minnesota’s unfolding fraud scandal has implicated dozens of companies and people who’re accused of enriching themselves through submitting fraudulent claims funded by each state and federal taxpayer {dollars}. Prices for not less than 5 new alleged fraudsters had been introduced earlier this month by Joe Thompson, first assistant U.S. District Lawyer for the state of Minnesota, together with allegedly fraudulent Medicaid claims involving a “housing stabilization providers program.”
Thompson characterised the schemes, every of which have allegedly collected tens of millions, as a “fraud tourism” scheme that’s below investigation by state and federal companies together with the FBI, Homeland Safety and the Justice Division. He stated extra costs might be introduced sooner or later.
Prosecutors have publicly acknowledged that Minnesota could have misplaced as much as $9 billion in misappropriated support — a determine that has drawn nationwide scrutiny because the investigation continues.
Shirley began posting often to his YouTube channel in 2019, and has constructed a big on-line following by posting movies that mix on-the-ground interviews, commentary, and investigative model reporting, particularly on political and social matters. His content material usually includes interviewing individuals in public areas, exploring controversial points and presenting daring narratives about social unrest, immigration, protests, and alleged fraud.
His important following leans towards conservative digital circles – his posts are amplified by political figures like Elon Musk and JD Vance – and has attracted criticism over his strategies and perceived bias.
Shirley posted a YouTube video of himself assembly with Donald Trump on the White Home in October, whereby he tells the president that he’s discovered proof that antifa-style protests are stocked with the identical people who find themselves “bussed” to varied cities to stage the demonstrations.
