Name: Investigation: Did MN fraudsters fund terrorism?
Uploaded: 2025-12-03T03:18:36.474Z
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Description: The federal government is looking into whether Minnesota fraudsters funded a terrorist group out of Somali.

The federal government is looking into whether Minnesota fraudsters funded a terrorist group out of Somali.

Minnesota

The U.S. Treasury Department has launched an investigation into whether individuals involved in fraud in Minnesota have funneled money to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab. This follows a history of concerns and previous investigations into fraud within Minnesota's social service programs, with an estimated $1 billion stolen since 2018.

While investigators have long suspected that some proceeds from fraud may have reached terrorist organizations, federal authorities have not yet found direct evidence linking Minnesota fraud to al-Shabaab. The investigation continues, with officials emphasizing the need to uncover any such connections and prosecute those responsible.

Investigation: Did MN fraudsters fund terrorism?

The federal government's focus on Minnesota now also includes a Treasury Department investigation into whether fraudsters funded a terrorist group in Somalia. It's a claim that Fox 9 also investigated back in 2018. Our Coren Hauger joining us in studio. And so what are federal investigators looking into now, Coren? Well, Kelsey and Randy, they're looking for any evidence of money coming from Minnesota fraudsters and going to a terrorist organization that operates mainly in Somalia. This is something investigators have tried to pinpoint for at least a decade now. President Trump spent Monday night posting 160 times in five hours on Truth Social, including several messages aimed at Governor Tim Walz and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announced an investigation into whether fraudsters in Minnesota helped fund the Somali-based terrorist organization al-Shabaab. If they want to help us, I welcome that. I think they do an investigation. Find out, but I don't think anybody in here really believes their motive and their timing is about actually doing something about this. The governor says he wants to uncover any fraud in the state and send the criminals to prison. But Republicans see fraud as his chief political weakness, and they requested the federal investigation after recent reporting followed up on a 2018 Fox 9 investigation into fraud in the child care assistance program. Since then, criminals have stolen an estimated billion dollars from social service programs in Minnesota. The scope of human services fraud in Minnesota has expanded exponentially. And so that's why I'm glad that the federal government with their international money laundering terrorism expertise is going to be taking a look to see if these dollars are either directly or indirectly going to fund al-Shabaab. As far back as 2015, investigators said it was a near certainty that terrorist organizations siphoned off at least some of the proceeds of fraud. But federal investigators have not revealed tracing anything directly to al-Shabaab. No, and look, that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen. I don't know what criminals do with their money. You know, they buy drugs, buy houses, buy cars or whatever. These are criminals. And federal prosecutors have traced recent fraud proceeds to real estate transactions in Kenya. They've also previously charged Somalis for having ties to al-Shabaab here in Minnesota, but they have not connected the fraud to the terrorists. At least not yet. All right. Thank you, Cory.

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