A video by a 23-year-old independent YouTube journalist exposing what he calls an example of Minnesota’s “possibly the biggest fraud scandal in American history” has been viewed more than 90 million times on X and YouTube in just two days, accelerating a chain narrative surrounding the abuse of social services that primarily targets the state’s Somali population.
In the 42-minute video, Nick Shirley, wearing a gray hoodie and working with an independent investigator who calls himself “David,” visits a series of social service-oriented businesses in and around the Twin Cities, confronting “people” who make millions of dollars through social services such as meal programs, housing assistance, and medical services — although the largest segment appears to be child care centers, where Shirley shows up during workday hours only to find no children present.
David said his personal investigation, including his own research and sources in the Sao Paulo state assembly, uncovered more than 1,000 fraudulent service-based businesses, more than 800 of which were Somali-owned. He said he began investigating when he noticed that drivers at a day care center without children and a “non-emergency medical transport” service located near his office never picked up any passengers.
Shirley said in the video that the schemes currently estimate the public funds allegedly stolen at $9 billion and that “the scale of the fraud is so large that it could almost displace Somalia’s entire GDP” (estimated at $12 billion).
“This is the full 42 minutes it took my team and I to expose fraud in Minnesota, and it may be my most important work yet,” Shirley wrote in the viral X post. “We seized over $110 million in one day. Like and share like wildfire! It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We all worked too hard and paid too many taxes to allow this to happen, and the fraud must be stopped.”
Minnesota’s ongoing fraud scandal involves dozens of businesses and individuals accused of lining their pockets by submitting fraudulent claims funded by state and federal taxpayer dollars. Earlier this month, Minnesota First Assistant U.S. District Attorney Joe Thompson announced charges against at least five new alleged fraudsters, including for alleged fraudulent Medicaid claims involving the Housing Stabilization Services Program.
Thompson described the schemes, which allegedly defrauded millions of dollars, as “fraudulent tourism” schemes and are under investigation by state and federal agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. He said more charges would be released in the future.
Prosecutors have said publicly that Minnesota may have lost as much as $9 billion in aid misappropriation — a figure that has drawn intense national attention as the investigation continues.
Shirley has been posting regularly on his YouTube channel since 2019 and has built a large following online by posting videos that combine on-the-ground interviews, commentary and investigative reporting, particularly on political and social topics. His content often involves interviewing people in public spaces, exploring controversial issues and proposing bold narratives about social unrest, immigration, protests and alleged fraud.
His significant following leans into conservative digital circles — his posts have been amplified by political figures such as Elon Musk and J.D. Vance — and he has drawn criticism for his methods and biases.
Shirley posted a YouTube video of himself meeting Donald Trump at the White House in October, in which he told the president that he had found evidence that anti-fascist-style protests were filled with people who were “bused” to demonstrate in various cities.
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