Attorney General Pam Bondi has rolled out the first wave of indictments targeting the sprawling fraud networks operating in Minnesota—and the scope of the abuse is staggering. What’s emerging looks like a Great Lakes grab-and-go: food charities allegedly used as fronts for fraud, Medicare schemes bleeding the system dry, and an entire web of “daycare” centers with no children enrolled that nonetheless pulled in millions in taxpayer funds.
According to investigators, at least $9 billion has been siphoned from taxpayers through these Somali-led operations—a level of organized theft that should have set off alarms years ago. Instead, it festered in plain sight.
And Minnesota may not be the end of it. Early warning signs suggest Ohio could be the next hotbed of similar mayhem:
Federal agents are investigating fraud claims within Somali-owned daycare centers in Minnesota, according to a social media post by the federal government.
This development has prompted calls from viewers for similar investigations into daycare facilities in Columbus. ABC 6 On Your Side Investigates is now examining the allocation of public funds to these centers in the Columbus area and more.
Ohio lawyer Mehek Cooke provided more details about the home health scam that seems to be defrauding hundreds of thousands of individuals:
? WOW. Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke CONFIRMS MASSIVE fraud in Ohio, another hotbed for Somalis
They run fake "home health" and bill $250,000 PER YEAR, per FAMILY, when no work is actually being done
She says it also happens in PENNSYLVANIA
"Audit America. Audit Ohio now. And I'm… pic.twitter.com/eEiRjdHtpO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 29, 2025
“Audit America. Audit Ohio now. And I’m pushing for that in every single state!”
“The state will, as long as the doctor has approved it, continue to pay you. It could be for 10 hours, 12 hours, up to 24 when it’s critical care.”
“So you could sit at home without caring for an elderly parent who really doesn’t need it, make about $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Now you add two parents, that’s $180,000. Now you add your in-laws $250,000.”
“You continue to add this and you wonder what are the services being provided? So a lot of providers came and said fraud is occurring because we said we weren’t going to rubber stamp this paperwork.”
“So they went to other providers, their home health care networks saying we’ll make it worth your while. Well, sounds like a kickback to me.”
“So we really need to investigate the Medicaid system and how much it’s increased since the Somalian population came and who really needs critical care because that’s meant for our disabled, our elderly and people who really need it, not to just live off our system.”
“And that’s what’s happening in Ohio. I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s despicable, but authorities are now looking at it from the Attorney General’s office to the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
“I flagged them all because this is Ohio tax dollars and we have to take it seriously. I’m tired of people telling me, well, this is the way it’s always been. It’s subjective and we can’t really check. No, you can.”
Hey, FBI, there’s another state that needs your attention pronto.
