Patriot Brief

• Journalists report signs that alleged daycare and Medicaid fraud may extend beyond Minnesota.

• Similar patterns are being observed in Ohio and Washington state facilities receiving public funds.

• Investigators and commentators argue the issue reflects systemic oversight failures, not race.

What’s emerging now looks less like a local scandal and more like a warning flare. Minnesota may have exposed the scheme, but journalists and attorneys are increasingly suggesting the underlying problem isn’t confined to one state. When reporters visit taxpayer-funded childcare facilities and find locked doors, no children, and neighbors who say they’ve never seen activity, that’s not a coincidence — it’s a red flag.

The reporting out of Ohio and Washington follows the same troubling pattern: subsidized centers on the books, money flowing, and little evidence of real services being provided. That consistency matters. Fraud doesn’t usually replicate itself across states unless the system itself is vulnerable. And according to attorneys familiar with Medicaid and waiver programs, that vulnerability is baked in — minimal verification, rubber-stamp approvals, and political reluctance to ask hard questions once “compassion” enters the conversation.

The most important point, and one too often ignored, is that this isn’t about ethnicity or immigration status. It’s about incentives and enforcement. When oversight is weak and audits are rare, bad actors will exploit the gap every time. Pretending otherwise only ensures the problem spreads.

What’s especially damaging is who pays the price. These programs exist to help children, seniors, and families who genuinely need assistance. When fraud drains the system, resources dry up, scrutiny tightens, and the people the programs were designed to help end up facing more hurdles.

At this stage, dismissing these reports as isolated anecdotes is no longer credible. If Minnesota was the tip of the spear, as some suggest, then other states need to stop debating optics and start auditing aggressively. Transparency isn’t punishment — it’s the only way to prevent a compassionate system from becoming a cash machine for abuse.

From Western Journal:

More evidence is coming forth that suggests that the alleged fraud uncovered in Minnesota, particularly among the Somali community, may not just be limited to the North Star State.

Anthony Rubin of Muckraker.com, posted a video on social media on Monday showing him inspecting what he described as a Somali-affiliated child care facility in Columbus, Ohio.

In the video, he asks two gentlemen who have a business across the street from it, “Have you ever seen any kids in this place here?”

“I’ve just seen the building itself. I’ve never seen anyone go in the building or come out of the building,” one man answered, noting people generally enter from the back.

Rubin confirmed with the second man, “You’ve never seen anyone come out of there?”

“No, none at all,” he replied.

Rubin can next be seen standing in front of the “Great Minds Learning Academy,” which he said is one of many in Columbus affiliated with the Somali community.

The reporter knocked, and no one answered the door. He then went around back, and there were a couple of cars visible, but no sign of activity.

Rubin noted this was just his first stop, but he planned to visit other locations and see if the situation is the same.

FIRST SIGNS OF MASSIVE POTENTIAL SOMALI FRAUD IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

The first Somali-affiliated daycare facility that we knocked after landing in Columbus, Ohio today did not answer.

A neighbor across the street told us, “I’ve never seen nobody come out the building or go in the… pic.twitter.com/zywy9lPDMw

— Muckraker.com (@realmuckraker) December 30, 2025

Carleen Johnson, a reporter with The Center Square, posted Monday on X, “Just went to four Somali run home daycare centers in Federal Way, WA that receive taxpayer subsidies.

“Just like @nickshirleyy found in MN- there were no children and no one willing to chat with this reporter. They threatened me with police. @waDCYF [Washington State Department of Children, Youth, & Families] wants information forwarded,” she added.

Just went to four Somali run home daycare centers in Federal Way, WA that receive taxpayer subsidies. Just like @nickshirleyy found in MN- there were no children and no one willing to chat with this reporter. They threatened me with police. @waDCYF wants information forwarded.

— Carleen Johnson (@CarleenJohn1970) December 29, 2025

Asked by a social media user if the centers might be closed for the holidays, Johnson responded that it does not appear to be the issue.

I hear what you’re saying, but this is not an issue of being “closed for the holiday”

— Carleen Johnson (@CarleenJohn1970) December 30, 2025

Mehek Cooke, an Ohio attorney and conservative commentator, told Fox News earlier this month, “Minnesota was just the tip of the spear.”

“She said that providers within the Ohio Somali community have confided to her that they have been pressured to join in a ‘massive’ Medicaid fraud scheme that involves doctors ‘rubber stamping’ home healthcare payouts to the family members of elderly individuals for fake medical conditions,” the news outlet reported.

“What we’re seeing in Minneapolis is just a snippet of what’s happening in Ohio,” Cooke asserted.

“I know that everybody wants to make this a Somali issue or a race issue. It’s not. Our waiver system in Ohio was built with compassion. It was built to really help individuals that are struggling and in need, but it’s being looted today,” she said.

WOW. Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke CONFIRMS MASSIVE fraud in Ohio, another hotbed for Somalis

They run fake “home health” and bill $250,000 PER YEAR, per FAMILY, when no work is actually being done

She says it also happens in PENNSYLVANIA

“Audit America. Audit Ohio now. And I’m… pic.twitter.com/eEiRjdHtpO

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 29, 2025

Last week, independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute video that has gone viral of him uncovering what he said was $110 million in fraud allegedly perpetrated through Somali-linked child care centers in Minneapolis.

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Photo Credit:  (Mgov / Getty Images)