https://arab.news/9b2rw
- Billions of dollars allegedly stolen in widespread social service fraud schemes
- State House approves creation of independent Office of the Inspector General
CHICAGO: Minnesota lawmakers investigating allegations of Somali fraud have said they are encouraged by this week’s state House approval of a law to create an independent Office of the Inspector General.
It was approved by an overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats in the Minnesota House, with 126 in favor and only five opposed.
The OIG will become law once approved by the state Senate and then signed by the governor, which is expected soon. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has indicated that he will sign it.
Under the legislation, the OIG will begin operations immediately and become fully functional with enforcement powers by 2028.
Although the OIG will focus on all aspects of corruption and state-related crime, legislators say it will further expose the billions of dollars of stolen state money in the Somali fraud scandal.
US President Donald Trump and federal prosecutors allege that more than $9 billion have been stolen in widespread, Minnesota-based social service fraud schemes that appear dominated by members of the Somali community, potentially tied to nearly half of all federal funds, $18 billion, provided to 14 state welfare programs since 2018.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in America, and a majority of fraud cases appear to originate there.
One of the most recent prosecutions focuses on the non-profit Feeding Our Future program,
created to direct money to welfare programs harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former executive director of Feeding Our Future, Aimee Bock, has been found guilty of wire fraud and bribery.
Evidence shows that fraudsters created shell companies and fake sites to falsely report providing food to hundreds of thousands of children, and submitted forged meal counts to the Minnesota Department of Education to boost reimbursements.
So far, 79 people, mostly Somali Americans, have been charged with fraudulently misusing more than $250 million in grants.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins, the Republican chair of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee, said the OIG bill strengthens the investigation into Somali fraud.
The committee recently subpoenaed Minnesota’s Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose district represents the largest concentration of Somali immigrants in the US, to testify on her role in allegedly helping the abuse of federal and state funds. She has refused to comply with the subpoena.
Robbins has accused Omar of failing to own up to her involvement in the fraud, asking the US Congress to direct her to testify before her state committee.