Trump administration widens multiagency fraud probes in Minnesota

The Trump administration has intensified a multiagency law enforcement effort to probe alleged fraud in Minnesota, according to the White House, executing search warrants in the state as part of investigations into the misuse of federal funds. The administration and federal authorities have pointed to about 100 people charged in schemes that law enforcement officials say involved Minnesota’s Somali diaspora billing state agencies for millions of dollars for services that were not provided.

The White House released a fact sheet describing coordinated work by agencies including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture, and the White House press secretary said, “Rest assured, this is an all-hands-on-deck effort from the entire administration to get to the bottom of this.” The source material also says the administration has fanned speculation of a deeper scandal involving the theft of billions of federal dollars.

Federal actions cited in the White House account include Department of Homeland Security agents going door to door in Minneapolis to investigate potential immigration fraud, FBI forensic accounting and data teams probing dozens of health and home care providers for links to terrorist financing, and HUD conducting a “wide-ranging” inquiry into public housing assistance.

The administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a letter to Gov.

Key Topics

Politics, Trump Administration, Minnesota, Somali Diaspora, Fbi, Dhs