Ilhan Omar faces investigation after outrage over massive wealth gains and aid fraud in Minnesota

A conservative watchdog is scrutinizing Rep. Ilhan Omar’s finances as outrage mounts over the massive fraud scandal engulfing her home state of Minnesota and questions about her rapid wealth gains.

Peter Flaherty, who chairs the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), told The Post that his team is “certainly looking” at Omar (D-Minn.).

The revelation comes days after The Post reported that her husband’s venture capital firm quietly scrubbed key officer details online amid questions about her sudden surge in wealth.

Within about a year, Omar’s net worth mysteriously shot up to $30 million, a roughly 3,500% increase relative to 2023, according to her financial disclosures.

The gains largely came from her husband Tim Mynett’s businesses, including a California winery and his venture capital management firm Rose Lake Capital, headquartered in Washington, DC.

Rose Lake Capital’s value jumped from nearly zero in 2023 to between $5 million and $25 million in just a year, The Post previously reported.

Additionally, the firm bragged about its officers managing some $60 billion in “previous” assets.

Recently, the names and bios of Rose Lake Capital’s nine officers were removed from LinkedIn, raising questions about why.

Mynett’s winery business, which faced fraud allegations previously, also saw its estimated value explode between $1 million and $5 million in 2024, according to Omar’s financial disclosures.

Further fueling the recent questions about Omar’s personal finances is the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal plaguing her home state, in which hundreds of millions of dollars were fleeced from taxpayers.

Omar has publicly faulted the rush to push out social benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of guardrails for the scandal.

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Tim Walz Forced to Respond to Videos Showing Rampant Somali Fraud in Minnesota. It Was Weak Sauce.

It’s taken social media by storm, and now the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved. YouTuber Nick Shirley did what no other mainstream outlet would: address the allegation of mass fraud against Somalis in Minnesota. If they did, it was a tepid dive into this story, most of which was geared toward defending this community. Shirley opted to visit some of the supposed childcare centers run by Somalis that are collecting millions in funds but have no children enrolled. It’s not a small operation either. Some of these daycare centers are supposed to have at least 100 kids, but they’re empty, occupied by a television, a couch, and empty space, and by Somalian men who claim the center is full.  

Now, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who President Trump rightly called “seriously retarded,” was forced to respond to these allegations. He must—the Feds are involved, and we should expect raids on these locations, at least I hope so. Walz’s office claims Mr. Happy Hands cracked down hard on fraud. Yeah, you can’t say that when the state seems to be a cesspool of corruption. The state is estimated to have cheated at least $9 billion from taxpayers, thanks to Timmy letting these schemes operate seemingly with impunity.

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NY Times Editorial Board Member Has Possibly the Dumbest Take of All on Somali Fraud in Minnesota

Mara Gay of the New York Times is a special kind of stupid. Whenever she is brought on to cable news to comment on an issue, you know you’re in for a hot take.

In this case, she was on Morning Joe, offering her opinion on the Somali fraud scandal that is still unfolding in Minnesota.

She suggested that this was the result of the ‘weaponization’ of government, which doesn’t even make any sense.

Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

JONATHAN LEMIRE: And, Mara, this is a story that’s really gained a lot of traction among conservative media members, among MAGA folks online, including members of the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance was posting about it the other day. There’s a lot we don’t know here just yet, but it does give off at least a sense—and we’ll see where the facts take us—but at least we can safely say this: it seems like Republicans are eager to be talking about something else amid a lot of the bad news surrounding the president right now.

MARA GAY, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: Right. Well, sure. These were funds that were meant to help feed hungry people during the COVID pandemic, to help keep people in their homes who were at risk of homelessness. So, first of all, if there is fraud there, that should be fully investigated—no matter where it is, whether it’s in a Democratic-led state or a Republican-led state. Absolutely, it should be investigated.

The question is, why is this a priority in a different kind of way? The politicization of the DOJ and the FBI is undeniable. So whether they are reliable narrators is the big question. This is what happens when you weaponize and politicize federal agencies that are not meant to be politicized.

I think the American people are right to ask the question: can we trust you? And that’s a sad thing to say as an American.

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Bombshell Resurfaced Video Shows Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Admitting He Knew About Somali Fraud Scandal But Failed to Keep Taxpayers Informed

Earlier this month, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz openly confessed that his administration should have been more transparent with taxpayers about the massive Somali-linked fraud schemes that have plagued state programs, potentially costing billions in federal funds.

The video, which has gone viral on social media in the wake of Nick Shirley’s bombshell reporting on Somali daycare centers, shows Walz admitting to knowing about the ongoing fraud during a press conference on December 12.

Standing before the American and Minnesota flags in the Capitol rotunda, Walz addressed the media about ongoing investigations into fraud in multiple state-run programs, including child nutrition initiatives like Feeding Our Future, autism services, and other social welfare programs.

In the clip, Walz states:

“I think what the president did was elevate it. Uh, I do believe and I will fully own this we should have been keeping Minnesotans more up to speed on what was happening.”

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Tim Walz Lashes Out Blaming “White Supremacy” After Massive Minnesota Somali Fraud Exposed

A viral investigation into alleged misuse of Minnesota state funds has ignited a fierce public feud between Governor Tim Walz and independent journalist Nick Shirley, culminating in a heated exchange of accusations over the weekend.

Shirley’s 42-minute video report, which garnered over 100 million views on X, purportedly showed multiple state-funded daycare centers — receiving millions in taxpayer dollars — appearing closed or inactive during business hours.

In the wake of the report’s release, Governor Walz faced intense backlash after appearing to dismiss the findings on X, writing, “This is what happens when they scapegoat and this is what happens when they no longer hide the idea of white supremacy.”

Critics immediately seized on the Governor’s comment, accusing him of using racially charged language to deflect from legitimate questions regarding the stewardship of public funds.

On Sunday, Shirley appeared on Fox News to directly address the Governor’s characterization, rejecting the “white supremacist” label as a political tactic used to silence dissent.

“If you have 100,000 people that will vote for you because you’re going to enable this stuff… and you’re going to call a white person racist for calling out facts, this is what’s going to happen,” Shirley told the host.

He further ridiculed the state’s oversight during the segment, remarking that the alleged fraud was “so obvious a kindergartner could figure it out.”

Meanwhile, Governor Walz’s office issued a formal statement responding to the allegations, asserting that his administration has “worked for years to crack down on fraud” and has already launched investigations into the specific facilities highlighted in the video.

The spokesperson emphasized that the administration has strengthened oversight mechanisms and previously closed one of the centers featured in Shirley’s report.

Despite the administration’s defense, the controversy continues to escalate, with federal authorities now signaling they are deploying additional resources to investigate the scope of the alleged fraud.

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Surveillance Footage Reveals Somali Daycare Fraud Playbook — Scheme Dates Back to 2013!

Newly resurfaced surveillance footage and investigative reporting confirm that the now-exploding Somali daycare fraud scandal in Minnesota follows a well-documented playbook that state officials were warned about as early as 2013, and repeatedly thereafter.

Yet year after year, the fraud was allowed to metastasize, draining hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from programs meant to help poor children, while far-left Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and radical Rep. Ilhan Omar looked the other way.

The scandal exploded into the national spotlight this week after a viral video by YouTuber Nick Shirley went mega-viral, accusing Somali-owned daycare centers of blatant fraud.

Shirley knocked on doors, demanding answers, and what he uncovered has prompted the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to “surge” into Minnesota for a massive investigation.

Let’s rewind to 2013, when a team of Ramsey County forensic auditors uncovered the scam’s early roots. A KSTP 5 Eyewitness News report from October 2025 reveals a whistleblower from Ramsey County who, in 2013, uncovered four daycare centers exploiting CCAP, with dozens more suspicious cases totaling over $100 million in fraud.

The whistleblower alerted the Department of Human Services (DHS) and lawmakers, but nothing happened for years.

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“Fraud tourists” traveled to Minnesota after a friend told them state programs were “a good opportunity to make money,” prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors announced new indictments Thursday in the widening Minnesota fraud scandal, this time involving two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented “a good opportunity to make money.”

Anthony Waddell Jefferson and Lester Brown are accused of siphoning millions from federally funded programs administered by Minnesota officials that were meant to help people with disabilities and those suffering from addiction.

Unlike many of the individuals previously caught up in the state’s sprawling fraud scandal, they don’t appear to have ties to Minnesota’s large Somali-American community. Prosecutors say they don’t appear to have ties to Minnesota at all.

“Minnesota has become a magnet for fraud, so much so that we have developed a fraud tourism industry — people coming to our state purely to exploit and defraud its programs,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who brought the new charges. “This is a deeply unsettling reality that all Minnesotans should understand.”

Court filings allege the men submitted up to $3.5 million in “fake and inflated bills” for Medicaid reimbursements after they set up a company intended to provide housing and other services to individuals who qualified for the program. They allegedly fleeced the housing program in Minnesota despite “living on the other side of the country and having no network in or connections to Minnesota or its communities.” 

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FBI Director Kash Patel Confirms Somali Fraudsters are Being Referred for Denaturalization and Deportation

FBI Director Kash Patel dropped a major bombshell on the massive Minnesota fraud scandal on Sunday, revealing that the FBI is pushing for denaturalization and deportation of many involved in the $250 million scheme that ripped off taxpayer dollars meant for hungry kids during COVID.

Patel made it clear this is “just the tip of a very large iceberg,” with investigations ramping up to expose even more corruption in federal programs.

In a lengthy statement posted to X in response to the massively viral video uncovering Somali scams by independent journalist Nick Shirley, Patel detailed the takedown of a $250 million scheme centered around the Feeding Our Future network.

This organization, which was supposed to distribute federal food aid to children in need, instead became a hub for sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering.

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Minneapolis Daycare Scandal Reveals The Trajectory Of Blue Zone Fraud Culture

Let’s bracket a great piece of journalism with more details and some context.

By now, I assume most readers here have seen the magnificent work of the independent journalist Nick Shirley in Minnesota, showing widespread Somali fraud in government-funded programs by simply walking up to the front doors of daycare centers and healthcare organizations and inquiring about their services.

Daycare centers with millions of dollars in government funding and no children inside, and neighbors who say they’ve never seen children going in or coming out. This is a slam dunk, and I couldn’t possibly love it any more.

He names the daycare centers he visits, so you can start to find out how much the state of Minnesota knows about the scam without getting off the couch. Daycare centers are licensed and inspected: government inspectors regularly show up with a clipboard and look around. So go look at the record of inspections for Quality Learning Center of Minneapolis, the one in the video with the misspelled sign over the door. The whole thing instantly becomes darkly funny, because there’s no way anyone has ever believed that this is a functioning daycare center running at anything near its declared and funded capacity of 99 children.

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FBI gives update on daycare accused of $4MILLION taxpayer fraud as Kash Patel says it’s the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and vows to ‘follow the money and protect children’

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed the bureau is cracking down on fraud in Minneapolis after a daycare was accused of stealing $4 million in taxpayer money.

In a lengthy X post on Sunday, Patel said the FBI has long been aware of the situation, vowed to ‘protect the children,’ and warned this is just ‘the tip of a very large iceberg.’

Minnesota daycare with misspelled signs and no children inside reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds, sparking immediate outrage among lawmakers demanding answers. 

Allegations spread on social media this week after independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a video on X claiming state authorities allowed the ‘largest fraud in US history’ to go unchecked. 

Lisa Demuth, running for governor, is now pushing for stricter scrutiny to uncover fraud in the Democrat-led state. 

On Sunday, Patel announced that the FBI had already ‘surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota,’ even before the social media discussion took off running.

‘The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota,’ Patel wrote, claiming that the bureau has moving to ‘dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.’

‘Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide,’ he added. 

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