Somalis Reportedly Filled Red State Strip Mall With Fraudulent Childcare Centers
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Several Somali-owned daycare centers in Columbus, Ohio, including a cluster located in a strip mall, are under review by ABC6 Investigates over potential fraud concerns.
Interest in the matter intensified after a viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who visited multiple Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota accused of fraudulent activity. Following the attention, ABC6 Investigates reported Monday that it identified several Somali daycares in northeast Columbus that are now being examined.
The news outlet did not name specific facilities or allege wrongdoing but noted that a U-Haul key drop-off was visible at the front door of one center. ABC6 Investigates also confirmed it requested public records from Franklin County and the state of Ohio related to public funds, overpayments, and potential fraud tied to the centers under review. Ohio is home to the second-largest Somali population in the U.S., after Minnesota, with roughly 60,000 Somali Americans living in the Columbus area, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
The situation has prompted calls from some Republican lawmakers for further investigation. Republican Ohio Rep. Josh Williams posted on X on Tuesday urging the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to investigate “all Columbus-area daycares suspected of potential fraud.” He added, “We need round-the-clock, unannounced inspections of all childcare facilities receiving public dollars to make sure not a single Ohioan’s tax dollars are being stolen. What’s happening in Minnesota is almost certainly occurring in Columbus – and Ohio needs to use every power we have under the law to put a stop to it,” attaching a formal request letter.
A spokesperson for Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told The Columbus Dispatch that the perceived “surge” is “not accurate,” emphasizing that daycare center fraud has “been known to the state for decades” and that Ohio already maintains “robust anti-fraud measures.”
“If people are out there who could not contemplate that people were trying to defraud the public through daycare centers, I understand it’s new to them … but it’s been known to the state for decades,” said DeWine’s spokesperson Dan Tierney. “So therefore, we have robust anti-fraud measures to try and stop this; this is something that is unfortunately the cost of doing business.” Tierney declined to comment specifically on allegations involving Somali immigrants.
ABC6 Investigates also reported a 20% decrease in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for non-U.S. citizens from 2024 to 2025. Data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shows the number of recipients dropped from 52,000 to 41,000 following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which limited SNAP benefits to certain groups.
Following Shirley’s viral video, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Sunday that the agency would increase its investigation into the state, stating the FBI has “surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”
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