FBI Chief Kash Patel Intensifies Minnesota Probe, Says $250 Million Fraud Was 'Just Tip Of A Very Large Iceberg'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel on Sunday said that the agency had committed additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to take down fraud schemes exploiting federal resources.

Patel announced the development on X, saying that the FBI had already moved resources into Minnesota before recent online attention, and pointed to the Feeding Our Future investigation, which uncovered a whopping $250 million fraud scheme.

“To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,” the FBI Director said.

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"The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs," Patel announced on X.

"Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide," the FBI Director added.

Patel went on to say that the Feeding Our Future probe was "just the tip of a very large iceberg", adding that the bureau would continue to investigate fraud schemes in the state.

Patel's announcement on Sunday comes after a video went viral, raising questions about a daycare in Minneapolis that allegedly received millions of dollars in state funding despite appearing to be largely inactive.

The video, which gained a lot of traction on social media, led political figures in the US to demand accountability from the Tim Walz administration.

Released by independent journalist Nick Shirley, the video showed the Quality Learning Center in South Minneapolis, which reportedly received $4 million in state funding.

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In the video, Shirley can be seen approaching the daycare on a weekday, but the office appeared to be closed, and there were no children visible.

The journalist's presence was also strongly protested by a woman at the site, who accused him of being an immigration enforcement agent.

As the footage spread across social media, Republican leaders, from House Representatives to Vice President J D Vance, demanded responsibility, attacking the Walz administration.

The video went viral against the backdrop of a scandal enveloping the Walz administration, with more than $1 billion reportedly siphoned from Minnesota's Covid-era food aid and other programs. Some of that money reportedly also ended up in the hands of the Somali terror group Al-Shabab.

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