Tag: corruption

Keith Ellison Calls Massive Fraud ‘Not Serious’ After Audio of Him Helping Fraudsters Resurfaces

Back at the beginning of December, Townhall reported how Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was not only working to help Somali fraudsters keep access to funding, but that he allegedly received campaign donations for doing so. Here’s what American Experiment wrote about Ellison at the time:

Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s Attorney General, can clearly be heard pledging his support to individuals who would soon become his family’s campaign donors and later Feeding Our Future criminal defendants.

His recorded statements flatly contradict his contemporaneous public statements and raise uncomfortable questions about the intersection between political fundraising and constituent services.

American Experiment has exclusively obtained the complete 54-minute, 44-second audio file of a private December 2021 meeting between state Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison and key figures in the Feeding Our Future scandal.

As I wrote last week, the audio file was named as Exhibit 710 on the evidence list presented to the court by Aimee Bock’s defense attorney, Kenneth Udoibok. The recording was not offered into evidence during the six-week trial that concluded last month, with Bock’s conviction on all seven counts she faced. A timeline of relevant events can be found here.

Now Fox News has picked up the story, and Ellison is not happy about it.

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Ex-Con Husband of Squad Member Ayanna Pressley Slaps Phone Out of Man’s Hands When Confronted About Fraud

Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and her ex-husband, Conan Harris, a convicted felon, do not like being confronted about allegedly defrauding American taxpayers in Minnesota. And they are willing to get violent instead of answering questions.

When asked to comment on the fraud, Pressley ignored the questioning, but Harris took it a step further and slapped the phone from the questioner’s hand.

A man is heard asking, “Congresswoman Pressley, do you support….” but before he could finish, Harris slapped the phone and it slammed to the floor.

The surprised man said, “Sir, you cannot take my phone out of my hand.”

Pressley quickly moved through the Chelsea City Hall in Chelsea, Massachusetts, ignoring the questions, as he called after her, “Congresswoman Pressley, do you support President Trump investigating Somali childcare fraud in Minnesota?”

“Congresswoman Pressley?”

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House Republicans Release Damning Report After Investigation of ‘FireAid’ Scandal in California

It has been a year since the wildfires in southern California and the almost total lack of rebuilding is not the only related scandal.

Back in July, an independent journalist looked into the celebrity-filled ‘FireAid’ concert and found that none of the victims of the fire had received any funds, despite claims from participants in the event that aid would go directly to the victims.

What she found was that the money had gone to a number of non-profit organizations, some of which have absolutely nothing to do with disaster recovery.

Republicans who control the House Judiciary Committee investigated and have just released their findings. It’s not good.

CBS News reports:

House Republicans release report on FireAid fund distribution

Organizers of last January’s FireAid benefit concert are once again facing accusations that the $100 million in donations did not directly help victims of the Los Angeles fires, after House Republicans published findings from their investigation on Tuesday.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who helped launch the investigation, claimed the “report highlights where the funds were not used in the way that the donors would likely have wanted them to be used.”

In its report, the House Judiciary Committee stated money went to “left-leaning pet projects, illegal aliens, and the administrative costs related to running non-profit organizations.”

“You had examples of funds used for voter outreach efforts, towards political advocacy groups, towards podcasters, fungus planting, those examples are pretty troubling,” Kiley said. “I do want to be clear, there were many organizations that got funds, nonprofits that are certainly very worthy nonprofits.”

FireAid organizers denied the claims made in the report. They stood by their original promise that all money raised during the concert would go to well-known, vetted nonprofits serving residents of Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

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Minnesota Democrats Blocked Auditors from Tackling ‘Avalanche’ of Somali Fraud, Blacklisted Whistleblowers

The Somali-dominated Democratic political machine in Minnesota successfully silenced hundreds of government experts who tracked the huge flow of taxpayer funds through Somali-run businesses, a top Minnesota Republican told a House hearing on Wednesday.

Up to 1,000 government auditors, accountants, and program managers were silenced by Democratic threats, Minnesota House Rep. Marion Rarick told a House hearing:

The most severe ones was that they would be fired with cause so they couldn’t have unemployment insurance, that they would be blacklisted from all state agencies… [including] Hennepin County, Ramsey County. As you know, those are Democrat-run.

Many government experts, non-government professionals, and Republicans detected many of the frauds, but their voices were muffled by Democrats who allied with the Somalians’ political machine in the state. “They don’t want a fraud unit to do anything — they want a fraud unit [only] on paper,” Steve Halicki, a Minnesota fraud investigator, told a TV station in 2015.

In 2023, state employees formed an anonymous group on Twitter to report the fraud to the public: “We are over 480 Minnesota state staff serving with pride & commitment to our people & state. We strive for a better Minnesota free of fraud. Commentary Account,” they wrote.

On January 7, the group declared:

We’ve been yelling from every rooftop possible about fraud. Few understood or listened to the scale of the problem. Systemic issues mean that someone in leadership is advising or forcing staff to commit wrongdoing. And these leaders will be NAMED.

Journalists’ clout in Minneapolis has also been shattered by the political and economic power of the Somali migrants. The result is that local politicians and cops were able to ignore multiple articles and TV segments about blatant fraud by many Somali businesses.

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Questions Grow as Lt. Michael Byrd, Who Shot Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, Operates a Taxpayer-Funded Home Daycare as $190 Million in Federal Child Care Funds Flow to Maryland

In one of his autopen’s last acts before Joe Biden left office was to pardon Capt. Mike Byrd, the DC officer who shot and killed January 6 protester Ashli Babbitt in cold blood during the protests on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.

As TGP’s Brian Lupo noted, video evidence captured Byrd shooting an unarmed Babbitt without warning as she attempted to climb through a narrow window near a barricaded entryway to the Speaker of the House’s office area in the U.S. Capitol.

Following an investigation, Byrd was cleared of any wrongdoing, although questions remain about the escalation to lethal force without attempts to subdue or detain Babbitt.

In the video, other armed law enforcement officers are visible in the background, appearing available to provide backup if needed.

In addition to Byrd leaving his Glock 22 service weapon in a Visitor’s Center bathroom in February 2019, Byrd also had his police powers revoked on several occasions for failing to meet semi-annual firearms qualifications standards.

Byrd expressed defiance after being pressed about killing Babbitt during an NBC interview months following the killing. He claimed that he saved “countless lives” by killing Babbitt.

He also whined that he has been getting death threats since killing the Air Force veteran. The officer said that it was “disheartening” and that he was simply “doing my job.”

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CMS Chief Dr. Oz Confirms SNAP and Medicaid Are Being Weaponized for Massive Voter Fraud in Blue States — Illegal Aliens Get Ballot Access, Stealing Elections!

In a bombshell interview with Laura Ingraham, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz laid bare a systemic, government-enabled pipeline in Democrat-run states that links taxpayer-funded welfare enrollment to voter registration.

According to Dr. Oz, federal laws tying voter registration to welfare programs like Medicaid and SNAP are being exploited to register illegal aliens or non-citizens, effectively stealing elections by building partisan voter bases.

Dr. Oz specifically pointed to Minnesota as a prime example of how the system is being exploited, accusing state officials of making it ‘easy for fraudsters to make out like bandits.’

According to Oz, lax oversight has allowed massive abuse of Medicaid dollars, money that should be reserved for the disabled, children with autism, and families genuinely in need.

Under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) frameworks, enrolling migrants into expansive welfare programs in sanctuary-style states also triggers voter registration mechanisms.

Enacted in 1993, the NVRA was designed to expand voter registration access by mandating that various state offices serve as voter registration agencies.

Section 7 requires states to offer voter registration opportunities at all offices that provide public assistance, including those administering programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). 

Under Section 7, state agencies are federally mandated to provide a voter registration application with each application for assistance, as well as during every recertification, renewal, or change of address.

This creates a welfare-to-ballot pipeline, effectively allowing left-wing political machines to harvest votes while draining federal resources.

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Somali fraud scam mastermind’s humiliating fall from grace as judge orders Porsche and millions seized

A ringleader of the $250 million Minnesota welfare fraud scandal has been ordered to forfeit her Porsche, diamond jewelry, Louis Vuitton bags and millions of dollars in bank accounts.

An order from a judge just before New Year’s Eve was the latest ignominy for Aimee Bock, 44, who prosecutors declared was behind one of the biggest fraud schemes of the pandemic era.

The vast majority of the more than 57 people so far convicted in the case are part of Minnesota’s Somali community – Bock is not – and the case has exploded onto the national stage.

On Monday, Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced he would not run for a third term after it happened ‘on my watch’ and admitted ‘the buck does stop with me.’

In a preliminary court order, reviewed by the Daily Mail, Bock was ordered to forfeit $3,506,066 seized from a Bank of America account in the name of her nonprofit Feeding Our Future, along with $179,455 in a personal account.

She was also ordered to give up her Porsche Panamera, around 60 laptops, iPads and iPhones found at three addresses, along with a diamond necklace, bracelet, earrings and her Louis Vuitton purse and backpack.

Bock was found guilty in March after a six-week trial on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery, and conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.

She is being held in Sherburne County Jail in Minnesota, awaiting sentence.

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Fed prosecutor warns more arrests coming after ‘massive’ fraud found in California homeless services: ‘We followed the money’

A federal prosecutor probing corruption in California’s homeless services promised that more arrests are coming after two real estate executives were busted for allegedly bilking taxpayers out of millions.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli told The Post a coalition of federal agencies has uncovered wrongdoing on a staggering scale as he blasted Democrats as “colossal failures” for letting corruption fester for years.

“We followed the money and very quickly we uncovered massive amounts of fraud,” Essayli said.

The recent indictments of housing executives Cody Holmes and Steven Taylor were just the tip of the iceberg, as the duo face accusations that they pocketed state funds intended for homeless housing, the prosecutor said.

“That’s just beginning to scratch the surface,” Essayli said. “We have dozens of other investigations ongoing and we expect to bring more charges this year, and perhaps this month.”

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“Bullsh*t” – Dem Senator Mark Kelly Lashes Out at Hegseth, Says He May Get in His Face and Confront Him Over Censure

Democrat Senator Mark Kelly lashed out at Pete Hegseth and said he may get in the Secretary of War’s face to confront him over his “bullshit” censure.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday censured Democrat Senator Mark Kelly and cut his military retirement pay over his ‘seditious’ video urging service members to defy President Trump’s orders.

Mark Kelly is one of the ‘Seditious Six’ Democrat lawmakers who urged members of the military to defy Trump’s orders.

In November, without offering any specifics, Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Democrat Reps. Maggie Goodlander (NH), Jason Crow (CO), Chris Deluzio (PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (PA) repeatedly stated, “You can refuse illegal orders,” or “You must refuse illegal orders,” in a viral video.

The Department of War previously announced it is considering recalling Democrat Senator Mark Kelly for court-martial proceedings after he urged the military to defy President Trump’s orders.

On Monday, Hegseth announced he is moving to demote Kelly and cut his military pension, but stopped short of a court-martial.

“Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice,” Hegseth said.

“Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay,” Hegseth said.

“To ensure this action, the Secretary of War has also issued a formal Letter of Censure, which outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kelly’s reckless misconduct. This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file,” Hegseth added.

In remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Mark Kelly questioned Trump’s order to strike Venezuela and capture Maduro.

He also called Hegseth’s censure “bullshit” and said he may confront the Secretary of War at Wednesday’s briefing.

“So [Hegseth’s] option, right now, is he can continue with this kind of bullshit, or he can go take a hike. That’s his options. And if I have an opportunity to tell him that tomorrow, maybe I will,” Mark Kelly said to CNN’s Manu Raju and others.

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Pete Hegseth Takes Action Against Sen. Mark Kelly, Who Egged On Military To Defy Trump In Viral Video

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday began taking steps to demote Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly from his current military rank over his role in a viral video telling U.S. service members and spy agencies they must “refuse illegal orders” by the Trump administration.

Hegseth posted a statement to social media saying the Pentagon is taking administrative action to initiate retirement grade proceedings  to demote Kelly from a retired Navy captain to a lower rank, with a corresponding deduction in pay. Hegseth also announced a formal letter of censure, outlining Kelly’s “reckless misconduct.”

“Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice,” Hegseth wrote in a Monday morning X post.

“Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret),” the War Secretary added. “The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.”

“Captain Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action,” Hegseth’s statement added.

Kelly responded to the Pentagon’s move in a statement later Monday, saying there’s nothing “more un-American” than the message he says Hegseth is trying to send by the move to demote him.

“Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn’t like, they will come after them the same way. It’s outrageous and it is wrong,” Kelly wrote in the statement.

“If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it,” the Arizona Democrat added. “I will fight this with everything I’ve got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.”

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