FBI surges resources to Minnesota as Director Patel calls $250M fraud scheme 'tip of a very large iceberg'
FBI surges resources to Minnesota as investigation into $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme continues.
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FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency has surged additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota as part of an ongoing effort to "dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs."
Patel said Sunday that the bureau moved resources into the state before recent online attention intensified, pointing to the Feeding Our Future investigation, which uncovered a $250 million scheme that siphoned federal food aid intended for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case has already resulted in 78 indictments and 57 convictions, with prosecutors also charging defendants in a separate plot to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash, Patel said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.
"The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing," he wrote on X. "Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigrations officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible."
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announces a major COVID-related fraud case in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, detailing charges against the director of Feeding Our Future and 46 others in what prosecutors call a massive scheme to steal more than $250 million meant to feed children during the pandemic. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Patel’s announcement comes in the wake of a viral video posted on social media Friday by independent journalist Nick Shirley that highlighted alleged fraud involving Minnesota childcare and learning centers.
In the video, many of the facilities appeared non-operational despite allegedly receiving millions of dollars in government aid.
Republican lawmakers, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., as well as Vice President JD Vance, have responded to the viral video, with Emmer accusing Gov. of sitting "idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking Minnesotans."
