Tag: minnesota

Minnesota Legalized Marijuana, But Thousands Of People Are Still Being Prosecuted For Carrying Cannabis In Their Cars

When Minnesota lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana in 2023, Democrats hailed it as the state’s most sweeping shift in drug policy in half a century and long-overdue relief for tens of thousands whose records were marred by low-level marijuana offenses.

What had been a felony—having two ounces of cannabis flower in a car, enough for about 100 joints—became legal overnight when the law took effect on August 1.

But legalization hasn’t ended marijuana prosecutions. Minnesota prosecutors have brought more than 3,500 charges and won more than 1,200 misdemeanor convictions against people with cannabis in their cars since legalization, according to a Minnesota Reformer analysis. Additionally, prosecutors have filed nearly 500 charges against people for consuming cannabis in vehicles, either as passengers or drivers.

That’s due to an important but unadvertised caveat: all cannabis products—including flower, vape pens, wax and edibles—must be in the trunk (or trunk area in the case of SUVs) unless they’re sealed in their original, labeled packaging from a dispensary.

The police stops and prosecutions have defense lawyers concerned about the threat of racial profiling and warrantless vehicle searches.

“Now there’s this whole entry point to all of these cars—officers are going to take it every time they get,” Amanda Brodhag, a Hennepin County public defender, said.

Law enforcement leaders and prosecutors say there’s an obvious public safety rationale for the law: driving under the influence of cannabis or any intoxicating substance is dangerous and they shouldn’t be easily accessible to the driver.

The packaging law has caught many consumers and even cannabis attorneys unawares.

“I’m surprised,” said Elliot Ginsburg, an attorney who helps marijuana growers, manufacturers and retailers comply with the new regulatory regime. “I suspect a lot of people don’t know that.”

The law prohibiting improperly packaged marijuana in vehicles isn’t mentioned on the state’s “need to know” page about adult-use cannabis, nor is it referenced anywhere in the chapter of laws governing recreational cannabis, including the lengthy section detailing limits on cannabis possession and the many things people may not do with it, like use it in a vehicle.

The rules are found in the lengthy chapter of traffic laws, next to the nearly identical section on open alcohol containers.

Violating the cannabis open package law is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum penalty of $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, although many people end up paying a few hundred dollars or less, according to the Reformer’s review of convictions.

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Beyond the Pale: Ilhan Omar Says Somalis Are the Actual Victims of the Massive Somali Fraud Scandal

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar tried to play the victim when questioned Sunday about the massive fraud perpetrated by those of Somali descent in her state and district, but her argument rings hollow.

CBS News “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan introduced the subject, noting that the Justice Department uncovered and prosecuted more than $1 billion in fraudulent payments, mostly going to those from the Somali community in Minnesota.

“Of the 87 people charged, all but eight are of Somali descent, and that has added to the spotlight being put specifically on your community,” Brennan said.

“Why do you think this fraud was allowed to get so widespread?” the host asked.

“I want to say, you know, this also has an impact on Somalis, because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota,” Omar replied.

“We also could have benefited from the program and the money that was stolen. And so it’s been really frustrating for people to not acknowledge the fact that we’re also — as Minnesotans, as taxpayers — really upset and angry about the fraud that has occurred,” she said.

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Walz Under Increased Fire as Minnesota Disability Services Pauses Licensing After 283% Increase in New License Applications but only 25% Increase in Participants

Minnesota disability services licensing is coming under increased scrutiny, and the Department of Human Services has paused the program as new findings of fraud come to light. 

The Department is reportedly issuing a two-year ban on new licenses for providers with a moratorium on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS).

Services, most of which are funded by Minnesota’s Medicaid waiver programs, will be halted on January 1, until December 31, 2027.

This comes after an explosion in applications for new licenses over the last five years.

While the number of participants in these programs has only increased by roughly 25%, new license applications have risen by approximately 283%!

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claims that his state has acknowledged that the findings are “serious” and that “it needs to stop.”

“It is stopping. People are continuing to go to prison,” he said. “I think the good news for Minnesotans to know: When that 90-day pause is over, and the third-party audits are done, we will have a better picture than we’ve ever had, which I think is really good.”

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PHOTOS: Illegal Alien Somali Fraudster Posed with Top Minnesota Democrats Before Arrest

The Somalian illegal immigrant and convicted fraudster who was seen in photos getting cozy with leading Minnesota Democrats has been arrested.

The news comes amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to safeguard Americans from illegal immigration and the crime that comes with it.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nabbed Abdul Dahir Ibrahim and placed him inside the McCook ICE facility in Nebraska, the New York Post reported Friday.

The outlet then detailed his criminal background, including an arrest for providing false information to law enforcement, driving without a valid license in Minnesota, and numerous parking and traffic violations.

Despite his history, the man was able to meet several well-known Democrat politicians in Minnesota, and photos show him with leftist Gov. Tim Walz (D), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D), and former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh.

In a social media post on Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, “Criminal illegal alien, Abdul Dahir Ibrahim has been linked to Minnesota’s top sanctuary politicians. In these pictures Ibrahim can be seen with @GovTimWalz, @Ilhan, and @OmarFatehMN.”

“Ibrahim was convicted in Canada for Asylum and Welfare Fraud prior to his entry into the United States. On April 3, 2004, an immigration judge ordered Ibrahim removed, citing the significant amount of fraud associated with him. Bye-bye, Abdul,” the agency stated. 

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480 Minnesota Health Services Employees Warned Candidate Kamala Harris of Walz, Fraud in 2024

Kamala Harris and the DNC were repeatedly warned about the widespread fraud in Minnesota under the leadership of Democrat Governor Tim Walz during her 2024 presidential campaign, a group of nearly five hundred Minnesota Department of Human Services employees reported Monday.

“[W]e did write to Kamala Harris and the DNC – multiple times – warning them about Tim Walz & his incompetence, fraud scandals and retaliation,” a post on the Minnesota Staff Fraud Reporting Commentary (formerly, Minnesota Department of Human Service Employees) X.com account explained Monday:

“We tried our best to keep the public informed as our tweets are public. Maybe Kamala Harris turned a blind eye to fraud like her running mate?”

The employees shared a reply to then-candidate Harris back from September 11, 2024 warning her about the fraud taking place in their state and the harm being wrought by her running mate, Gov. Walz:

“Ms. Harris, please listen to Minnesota State Employees who work everyday (sic) to deliver best services possible to our state & people who expect no less & pay our wages. Tim Walz has caused incredible harm to our state & agencies, retaliated against whistleblowers against fraud.”

The post includes a chart of “Selected Minnesota Fraud/Waste Cases 2019-2024” listing 21 state-funded programs receiving a total of more than a half-billion dollars of taxpayer money.

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The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Just Got a Whole Lot Worse for Walz and Omar

Earlier this month, over 400 Minnesota Department of Human Services employees accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of being “100% responsible” for the massive fraud in Minnesota. I wrote at the time that the Minnesota Somali fraud scandal could take down Walz, and every day it looks even more likely. And what do you know, the scandal just got significantly worse for Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar. Newly surfaced photographs show both Democrats smiling alongside Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, a Somali national and convicted fraudster who spent decades in America as an illegal immigrant before Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently arrested him.

Ibrahim’s rap sheet stretches back to Canada, where he was convicted of asylum and welfare fraud before slipping into the United States through New York in 1995, following his deportation from Canada. Despite his history, Ibrahim managed to remain in the country for roughly 30 years, accumulating at least a dozen traffic and parking violations along the way. In 2002, he was arrested for driving without a valid license and for providing false information to law enforcement, earning him a fine and one year of probation. An immigration judge ordered his removal on April 3, 2004, citing significant fraud associated with him. Yet Ibrahim wasn’t arrested until 2025, a staggering 21 years after that deportation order was issued.

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Tim Walz’s Daughter Goes on Profanity-Laced Tirade Against President Trump, Claims “Cult Members” Are Driving by Her House Screaming “Retard”

Tim Walz’s 24-year-old daughter, Hope Walz, went on a profanity-laced tirade on her TikTok account after President Trump called her dad “retarded.”

Earlier this week, corrupt Minnesota Governor and failed Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz claimed strangers are driving by his house and screaming “retard.”

President Trump on Thanksgiving called Tim Walz “retarded” in Truth Social rant against the illegal aliens and Somalians leeching off the American taxpayer.

“The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both, while the worst “Congressman/woman” in our Country, Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab, and who probably came into the USA illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother, does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how “badly” she is treated, when her place of origin is a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation, which is essentially not even a country for lack of Government, Military, Police, schools, etc…” Trump said.

Of course, the media erupted after President Trump called Tim Walz retarded.

Tim Walz on Thursday claimed people are driving by his home and screaming “retard.”

“This creates danger!” Tim Walz said.

“And I’ll tell ya what, in my time on this, I’d never seen this before – People are driving by my house and using the ‘R word’ in front of people,” Walz said.

Walz continued, “This is shameful! I have yet to see an elected official – a Republican elected official say you’re right that’s shameful. He should not say it.”

Walz said Trump’s jab at him will lead to violence.

“Look, I’m worried. They know how these things go! They start with taunts, they turn to violence, so, deeply concerned!” he said.

Hope Walz melted down and lashed out against President Trump.

She claimed Trump “cult members” are driving by her house and screaming “retard.”

“The President calling my dad what he did has unleashed a f*cking sh*t storm regarding offensive language towards me and my family,” Hope Walz said on her TikTok account.

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Small Business Administration Uncovers $1M Somali Community Fraud in Minnesota

The Small Business Administration has discovered that the fraud among the Somali community in Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota is still growing with its finding of one million dollars in PPP loan fraud.

Trump-appointed Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler took to her X account to report finding the massive fraud of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was launched to save businesses struggling to survive the oppressive government policies meant to address the COVID crisis in 2020.

“Numerous individuals and nonprofits indicted in the $1 billion Minnesota COVID fraud scandal, including Feeding Our Future, received SBA PPP loans in addition to other state and federal funding,” Loeffler wrote. “I have ordered an investigation into the network of Somali organizations and executives implicated in these schemes.”

“Despite Governor Walz’s best efforts to obstruct, SBA continues to work to expose abuse and hold perpetrators accountable, full stop,” she said.

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What did Ilhan Omar know about the $1B welfare fraud case in her Minnesota district?

US Rep. Ilhan Omar’s close ties to the $1 billion welfare scam in her Minnesota congressional district are being uncovered.

Omar (D-Minn.) held parties at one of the key restaurants named in the fraud, knew one of its now-convicted owners, and one of her own staffers has also been convicted — both for stealing millions. 

Omar even introduced the bill that led to $250 million in fraud. Yet she claims to have been completely unaware of it. 

“[Rep. Omar] knew who these people were. People she personally knew were making tens of millions of dollars in this program,” claimed Bill Glahn, a policy fellow with the Minnesota-based Center of the American Experiment, to The Post. 

“She had been inside the [Safari] facility on numerous occasions and couldn’t put 2 and 2 together? Either she’s terminally naive, or knew and didn’t care,” Glahn added.

Around $250 million was handed out by the Minnesota government to provide meals to schoolchildren during the pandemic from 2020 onward.

Instead, it was pocketed by corrupt business owners, including Salim Ahmed Said. He’s the co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar held her 2018 congressional victory party.

Said was found guilty in August of stealing over $12 million for serving 3.9 million “phantom” meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He blew much of the money on a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and a $9,000-a-month shopping habit at Nordstrom, according to prosecutors.

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Full Metal Retard: Walz Rolls Out Taxpayer-Funded Paid Leave For Illegals

Less than one week after the NY Times (of all rags) torched Minnesota governor Tim Walz over a massive and sprawling fraud scandal involving Somalians that federal prosecutors say siphoned over $1 billion from the state’s social safety net programs, Walz is opening yet another avenue for fraud – giving taxpayer-funded leave illegal immigrants.

Under the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave Program which Walz signed into law ahead of its Jan. 1 start date, “undocumented workers” will receive benefits, according to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s FAQ page. 

The program provides payments to Minnesota residents who need time away from work for “serious health” reasons, or to take care of a family member – be it an infant or an ill relative, the Washington Examiner reports. What’s more, if an individual qualifies for both medical and family leave, they can “double dip” – getting taxpayer funds for a total of 20 weeks or 5.5 months, each year. These receiving benefits can also “top off” paid leave by using paid time off (PTO), sick days, and vacation hours in addition to their leave of absence. 

Program beneficiaries will receive between 55% and 90% of their regular wages while on paid leave – up to a maximum amount of $5,692 per month. 

“Are people going to abuse the program?” Walz replied when questioned on Tuesday at an event about potential fraud. “How disrespectful to people to assume that ailing Minnesotans are scamming. That’s what I hear from [critics] all the time. I trust Minnesotans.”

“I believe they know you’re not gonna get rich, and it’s not your full salary. You’re not gonna scam and take time off,” Walz continued. 

Meanwhile, Walz continues to downplay growing concerns after a $1 billion fraud was uncovered by City Journal, in which Somali immigrants were stealing welfare funds and funneling the money home to Somalia. 

The fraud involved a series of schemes that federal authorities say took root over the past five years, many centered within Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, where individuals established companies that billed state agencies for services that were never performed. Prosecutors say 59 people have been convicted across various cases so far, in three separate plots.

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