Unearthed surveillance exposes how parents were allegedly involved in Minnesota's daycare fraud scheme
As federal authorities investigate reports of massive fraud taking place in Minnesota daycares, a resurfaced video from a 2018 fraud case shows parents and providers scheming the system.
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As federal authorities investigate reports of massive fraud taking place in Minnesota daycares, an unearthed video from a 2018 fraud case shows parents and providers involved in a fraud scheme dating all the way back to 2015.
The video, taken from a local Fox report from 2018, shows parents checking their children into a daycare center in Hennepin County, Minnesota, only to leave with their children minutes later.
The video was taken from a surveillance camera as part of a case prosecuted by Hennepin County, according to the 2018 Fox 9 report. Under the scheme, low-income parents would sign in their children for daycare services so that providers could then claim reimbursement for services that were never truly provided, per Fox 9. The outlet said that, according to surveillance video, some days no families would show up, but that the daycares would claim reimbursements from the government nonetheless.
The time stamp on the surveillance video shows March 2015.
MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B
During a 2022 press briefing, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger outlined federal charges against 47 people accused of participating in a $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme that diverted child-nutrition funds into luxury spending, real estate and kickbacks, according to prosecutors. Authorities released evidence documents and graphics as part of the case. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Another video in the broadcast showed a man handing an envelope to a parent with an alleged kickback payment for participation in the scheme.
This comes amid widespread outrage over a viral video posted by Nick Shirley on Friday showing visits to multiple childcare centers in Minnesota, including one that allegedly received millions of dollars in state funding despite appearing largely inactive.
The video has sparked widespread backlash, drawing criticism of Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz throughout the weekend from several high-profile figures, including Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.
