I’ve been following politics for a long time. And I’ve never seen anything like what is going on in Minnesota – either right under the noses of Governor tim walz and Attorney General keith ellison, or with them as willing aiders and abettors.
Much to my surprise, the Associated Press – which, for years, has been Democrat Propaganda Central – has a very good article on this. Good enough so that I am going to post all of it below.
Read it…and then tell me how walz and ellison can look any sentient human being in the eye and claim not to know it was going on:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — At least 14 state-run programs in Minnesota have been flagged for fraud, a prosecutor said Thursday as he announced new charges in several schemes.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said during a news conference that federal officials suspect a significant portion of roughly $18 billion paid out by Medicaid to Minnesota programs was fraudulent.
“What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes,” Thompson said. “It’s swamping Minnesota.”
Investigators’ new findings may bolster President Donald Trump in his claims that Minnesota is a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” under Gov. Tim Walz, who was the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee in last year’s presidential election.
Trump has capitalized on the fraud cases to target the Somalian diaspora in Minnesota, calling them “garbage” and saying he doesn’t want immigrants from the East African country in the U.S.
Thompson said 14 state-run programs have been flagged as having significant fraud problems, and many of the defendants were getting money from multiple Medicaid programs.
“What we’re seeing is programs that are entirely fraudulent,” he said.
Five new defendants have been charged in connection with a Minnesota housing services fraud, Thompson said. Two defendants pocketed $750,000 instead of helping Medicaid recipients find stable housing, he said. Prosecutors allege they used the proceeds to travel to international destinations, including London, Istanbul and Dubai.
One defendant submitted $1.4 million in fraudulent claims, using some to purchase cryptocurrency, Thompson said. Federal officials say he fled the country after receiving a subpoena.
The five new defendants join eight others charged in September for their alleged roles in the scheme to defraud the Minnesota Housing Stability Services Program.
Prosecutors also named a new defendant accused of defrauding another state-run, federally funded program that provides services for children with autism, alleging he submitted millions of dollars worth of claims for Medicaid reimbursement. One woman previously charged for exploiting that program pleaded guilty Thursday morning, officials said.
He called Minnesota an outlier, saying that the scale of fraud outpaces that of other states and that he sees more red flags than legitimate business in the claims providers are submitting. Asked who is to blame, Thompson said the state “has not done a good job of mining these programs.”
The fraud puts government-run services at risk for people who really need them, Thompson said.
“There’s real patients, real clients, real people who need services and aren’t getting them,” he said.
“A significant portion” was fraudulent? How much is “a significant portion” of 18 BILLION dollars? Half is 9 billion. One third is 6 billion.
The AP, of course, couldn’t resist nailing Trump for his “garbage” comment (well deserved criticism). But it also managed to leave out the fact that the vast majority of people being accused/convicted of criminality in this unbelievable amount of fraud are, in fact, from Somalia. If the vast majority were, to make a point, political conservatives, do you think the AP would have any problem with this commentary?
And as far as the “outlier” status of Minnesota – it may be true. It MAY be true. But if I found out tomorrow that this much fraud, and more, was occurring in places like California and Illinois, trust me when I tell you I would not be surprised in the least.
One last thing: tim walz, who, as two-term Governor of Minnesota, has overseen this entire disgrace, is running for a third term.
If the people of Minnesota elect this hall of fame loser again, they deserve what they are getting.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times? I don’t even have the words.
