Watch: Nick Shirley Exposes Fraud in Somali-Run, Taxpayer-Funded Taxi Companies
A new video by independent journalist Nick Shirley is drawing fresh attention to allegations of widespread fraud within Minnesota’s Medicaid-funded transportation system, forcing long-ignored concerns into the public eye and prompting renewed scrutiny from both media outlets and federal officials.
In the footage, Shirley visits multiple locations in Minneapolis that he says operate as hubs for taxpayer-funded transportation services intended for low-income or medically vulnerable residents. At several stops, individuals he identifies as ethnic Somalis angrily confront him, but do not, in his account, provide proof that the organizations in question are delivering services to Americans as required under the programs.
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The videos have created enough momentum that some local journalists, long aligned with pro-Democrat narratives, have begun acknowledging allegations of abuse they previously did not pursue. Critics argue that this silence stemmed from political and professional pressure tied to Democratic officials and activists who benefited from the Somali-managed system now under scrutiny.
Shirley’s latest reporting zeroes in on Somali-run transportation companies that receive government payments to shuttle patients and clients to hospitals, government offices, stores, and residences. He argues that these firms are central to a broader web of abuse involving multiple publicly funded services.
“These transportation companies are what hold all the [aid and welfare] fraud together,” Shirley says in the video, adding: “You have the daycare centers working with the transportation companies, the adult daycare centers working with the transportation companies, the healthcare companies working with the transportation companies …. [to] make it look like [services are being provided] here inside of Minnesota.”
According to Shirley and his collaborator, David Hoch, public exposure has left those involved with little response. “We’re shining the light on the fraud, and they have no defense,” Hoch said.
The online attention has also encouraged others to speak publicly about what they say they witnessed. In one TikTok video, a former drug addict claimed he was able to purchase narcotics using cash paid to him by Somali drivers in exchange for signing fraudulent transportation receipts that were later used to obtain government reimbursements.
As Shirley’s video circulated, Minnesota’s largest newspaper began conceding that the Medicaid transportation program has long been vulnerable to abuse. “A transportation service that pays for people’s rides to medical appointments is among the Medicaid-funded programs facing new scrutiny for its vulnerability to fraud,” the Minnesota Star Tribune wrote. The paper quoted industry insiders who said concerns have existed for years.
People working in nonemergency medical transportation “have been ringing the fraud bell for quite some time,” said Scott Isaacson, president of the Minnesota R-80 Transportation Coalition, which represents many providers. He shared a list with the Minnesota Star Tribune of the 10 most prevalent forms of fraud in the program that he and others in the field are aware of.
State data cited by the paper shows that spending on nonemergency medical transportation has risen sharply. Providers billed roughly $80 million in 2018, with the figure climbing to more than $115 million by 2024 before dropping to about $88 million last year.
The Star Tribune also acknowledged that oversight problems predate the current controversy by more than a decade and are linked to other government-funded services, including translation programs. It cited a report from Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor issued over 15 years ago warning that the Department of Human Services “provides little statewide oversight of the program.”
In another case highlighted by prosecutors, one provider allowed trips of up to 60 miles for specialty care without prior authorization. Interpreters allegedly recruited patients in Faribault and scheduled appointments with providers nearly an hour away in the Twin Cities—despite the existence of closer providers, some of whom spoke the patients’ language.
At the same time, the newspaper pushed back on some of Shirley’s specific claims, noting: “The transportation providers Shirley highlights in his video are not listed as having received reimbursements from the state in Medicaid claims data provided by the Department of Human Services.”
Federal officials under President Donald Trump, however, suggest the investigation may extend far beyond a handful of companies. Trump administration sources indicate preparations are underway for a sweeping case involving fraud, kickbacks, and racketeering that could target figures tied to Minnesota’s Democratic political establishment.
“My personal motto, and the Treasury motto, is move deliberately and fix things,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told conservative activist Christopher Rufo on a podcast on January 12, adding: “You’re not going to see headlines tomorrow. You’re not going to see them next week, but in a month, [or a] quarter, once we get people in the bear trap, they’re not getting out because we will have conclusive evidence to present. I think that they will have to make plea deals … to turn in higher-ups to help us map out how this happened.”
Bessent said the approach used in Minnesota would not be limited to one state. “We’re going to take this Minnesota [strategy] map to the other 49 states,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
