YouTuber Nick Shirley, known for his MAGA-aligned content, gained significant attention during Christmas week for his on-location video reports from Minnesota alleging widespread fraud within government-funded child care programs. His reporting, which included a viral scene of him standing outside a seemingly abandoned building with a misspelled sign for a "Learing" center, quickly garnered widespread views on YouTube and X. Administration officials have linked the alleged fraud to Minnesota's large Somali community, with Governor Tim Walz's office stating efforts have been made for years to combat fraud and strengthen oversight.
A federal prosecutor indicated that over $9 billion in federal funds supporting Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen, with a significant majority of the defendants charged being Somali Americans. Shirley's report drew praise from Vice President JD Vance, who lauded it as superior journalism, and an acknowledgment from the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the FBI's awareness of the social media reports and stated that the bureau had already deployed additional personnel and resources to Minnesota to investigate large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs, even before the online conversation intensified. This is not the first time Shirley's videos have seemingly prompted official action; a previous video concerning migrant scammers in NYC preceded an ICE operation that led to detentions.