A Review.
The Heist
It started with children’s meals.In April 2020, as COVID-19 shut down schools across Minnesota, a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future began signing up sites to distribute free meals to hungry children. The federal program paid between $3 and $12 per meal. Feeding Our Future would sponsor the sites, handle the paperwork, and take a cut of the reimbursements.
The growth was extraordinary. In 2019, Feeding Our Future received $3.4 million from the program. By 2021, that number had exploded to $198 million, a 5,700% increase in two years.
The meals were fake. The children were fake. The whole operation was a fraud.
…
“Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud, but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.”
Overview
Minnesota faces what federal prosecutors describe as “industrial-scale” Medicaid fraud potentially exceeding $9 billion, the largest in U.S. history. Dutch Rojas’s Substack article “Minnesota: The $9 Billion Heist (Part 1)” exposes egregious examples, systemic failures, and ignored warnings under Governor Tim Walz’s administration. The piece highlights fictitious claims in programs like child nutrition and housing services, with funds funneled overseas.
Key Fraud Examples
A Minneapolis restaurant, Safari, seating only 35 people, claimed to serve 18,000 daily meals to non-existent children, receiving millions in federal reimbursements. Similar schemes involved fake autism therapies, phantom meals, and housing aid billed from abandoned buildings or fictitious firms.
Providers exploited lax COVID-era rules, submitting inflated or fabricated bills—e.g., one operator stole $12 million via 3.9 million ghost meals. Funds traced to luxury real estate in Nairobi, Kenya, and cryptocurrency purchases, often by Somali-owned entities.
Systemic Failures
State oversight collapsed due to a 40-year hospital moratorium stifling competition, creating monopolies ripe for abuse. Whistleblowers were ignored amid fears of “negative press” or discrimination accusations; officials prioritized “moving the money” over audits.
“Fraud tourism” drew scammers from afar, with over 800 Somali-owned non-emergency transport firms unverified. Recent charges against 14 defendants, including Philadelphia “tourists,” underscore the crisis.
Broader Implications
Prosecutors estimate half or more of $18 billion in Medicaid spending across 14 services may be fraudulent. Ties to political figures like Rep. Ilhan Omar’s campaigns fuel scrutiny, alongside allegations of funds supporting terrorism. Rojas frames this as an “incentive story” enabled by regulatory voids.
Sources:
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/magnitude-cannot-overstated-feds-say-minnesota-fraud-may-more-than-9b
- https://dutchrojas.substack.com/p/minnesota-the-9-billion-heist-part
- https://x.com/DutchRojas/status/2005644231168196962
- https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/former-minneapolis-mayoral-aide-and-safari-restaurant-co-owner-both-plead-guilty-in-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx_7pJOAzm8
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/federal-prosecutors-probe-18b-minnesota-151500005.html
- https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-rojas-report-302065761/episode/how-minnesota-lost-a-billion-dollars-310973807/
- https://noticias.foxnews.com/politics/inside-minnesotas-1b-fraud-fake-offices-phony-firms-and-a-scandal-hiding-in-plain-sight
- https://x.com/RepJamesFrank/status/2005269297711796534
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXoAzLHI3xQ
- https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/9-billion-stolen-taxpayer-dollars-in-somali-fraud-millions-funneled-to-democrats.html/
- https://dutchrojas.substack.com/archive
- https://www.tampafp.com/industrial-scale-heist-prosecutors-claim-9-billion-vanished-under-minnesota-gov-tim-walzs-watch/
- https://www.facebook.com/mixedheart/posts/ooh-looks-like-minnesota-has-some-industrial-sized-fraud-great-work-by-an-indepe/1485330090258869/
- https://www.startribune.com/in-unprecedented-minnesota-fraud-case-crypto-scheme-bilks-eden-prairie-couple-out-of-9-million/600294214
- https://www.facebook.com/coldwarrusa/videos/the-minnesota-fraud-scandal-is-worse-than-anyone-admitted-9-billion-worse/1199525721593075/
- https://dutchrojas.substack.com/p/the-empire-cracks
- https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/lifestyle/the-heist/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwiNP-QW6x4
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZgNShl3ciyyVxwcSEaSdpA
- https://podcasts.apple.com/gh/podcast/the-rojas-report/id1847936298
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0mhGbG2BBE
- https://therealbookspy.substack.com/p/september-reading-guide-all-my-book
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9-sVOQ5AhBc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6BrAY4qvlw
- https://www.facebook.com/ground.newsapp/posts/how-did-1-billion-worth-of-fraud-in-minnesota-occur-and-how-are-those-on-the-lef/1265509618946444/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/billions-paid-out-by-medicaid-in-minnesota-may-be-fraudulent-us-attorney/
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dutchrojas_a-restaurant-in-minneapolis-called-safari-activity-7411530800539795456-CGG8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxDWoV7uQ9w
- https://www.fox9.com/news/federal-prosecutors-minnesota-fraud-crisis-could-top-9b
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/federal-jury-finds-feeding-our-future-mastermind-and-co-defendant-guilty-250-million
- https://www.facebook.com/lounewsman/posts/9-billion-is-the-new-estimate-of-the-total-amount-of-fraud-in-minnesota-programs/1296201682316261/