Shocking unearthed footage shows parents pretending to drop kids off at a Minnesota day care center
In surveillance video, Somali parents would take their kids to the day care, check them in, and then leave with them moments later. via FOX9
Surveillance video tied to a state fraud investigation has resurfaced, showing Minnesota parents briefly dropping off their children at day care centers and then leaving with them moments later, as authorities examined what prosecutors described as a massive fraud scheme involving public child care funds.
The footage, recorded in 2015 and later obtained by Fox 9, shows parents signing their children into day care facilities so providers could bill the state for full days of care that allegedly never occurred. In some cases, the video shows families leaving almost immediately after checking in.
According to reporting at the time, there were also days when no children appeared at certain centers, yet the facilities still submitted claims for government reimbursement. Investigators said some of the alleged sham day care operations paid kickbacks to parents who participated in the scheme.
In another video released by Fox 9, a man is seen handing an envelope to a parent, which authorities alleged contained a kickback payment. Although the recordings were made in 2015, they did not become public until 2018, when investigators were already probing widespread fraud in the state’s child care assistance program.
The videos have recently drawn renewed attention following a viral report by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who highlighted several Minnesota child care centers that received millions of dollars in state funding despite appearing inactive or closed.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the alleged misconduct as a “breathtaking failure.” Minnesota authorities first began investigating suspected fraud in 2014, and by 2018 were examining dozens of businesses accused of improperly collecting millions of dollars for child care services that were never provided.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has also faced criticism over other alleged fraud cases involving Medicaid-funded disability programs, including a housing initiative designed to help seniors and people with disabilities secure housing.
Law enforcement officials have said many of the alleged schemes are linked to Minnesota’s Somali migrant community. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the bureau has deployed additional agents and resources to the state to investigate and dismantle what he described as large-scale fraud exploiting federal programs.
Patel said the child care cases represent “just the tip of a very large iceberg” and warned that individuals convicted of fraud could face deportation.
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