Minnesota investigators walked into several child care centers accused of massive fraud and found, brace yourselves, children actually being cared for. A viral video promising criminal masterminds and stolen millions instead revealed a bunch of open businesses and one very empty parking lot.
The consequences of this digital detective work have been chaotic, freezing federal funds with the efficiency of a polar vortex. It appears that making a YouTube video with 3 million views is now all it takes to launch federal investigations, though it does very little to uncover actual crimes.
Nick Shirley decided to do his investigative reporter hat the day after Christmas. He posted a 42-minute video claiming Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota were pulling off the heist of the century.
The video quickly climbed the viral charts, catching the eye of Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, who apparently have nothing better to do than retweet unverified conspiracy theories.
Thanks to the “Vance-Musk seal of approval,” the video prompted immediate federal action. Health and Human Services froze child care payments faster than you can say “due process,” forcing the state to prove its innocence.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families actually visited the sites to see what was what. They found that at all but one location, the centers were operating exactly as expected.
The exception was a site that hadn’t opened for the day yet, which investigators noted is a common phenomenon known as “morning.”
In a spectacular display of investigative prowess, the viral video included a center that has been closed since 2022. Accusing a defunct business of ongoing fraud is certainly a unique legal strategy, likely to hold up in a court of law located in Wonderland.
The state agency politely pointed out that spreading unvetted claims can interfere with real investigations and be somewhat rude to the immigrant communities involved. They remain committed to “fact-based reviews,” a concept that seems entirely foreign to the YouTube algorithm.
The Department of Health and Human Services didn’t exactly back down, instead demanding receipts and photo evidence for every payment made in the state. It seems the new standard for government funding is that you must prove you are not a criminal before receiving a dime.
The controversy revolves around $17 million in Child Care Assistance Program funds, money that goes to working parents, not directly to the centers. The logic of the accusations is somewhat lacking, considering the centers don’t handle the applications themselves.
Now, Minnesota officials have until next Friday to provide verifying information to the federal government or face the music.
This whole mess follows a previous real scandal involving the “Feeding Our Future” nonprofit, proving that in Minnesota, even the fraud accusations have a sequel.
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