Minnesota state officers and daycare supervisor push again on viral video fraud allegations

Minnesota officers and a daycare supervisor denied fraud allegations Monday after a viral video questioned state-funded baby care facilities, with each side disputing claims that the power was closed or improperly accumulating taxpayer cash.

The allegations stem from a viral video posted by unbiased journalist Nick Shirley displaying visits to a number of Minnesota daycare services, together with High quality Studying Heart in Minneapolis, which appeared inactive through the go to regardless of receiving state baby care help funds.

At a information convention Monday, Minnesota Division of Youngsters, Youth and Households Commissioner Tikki Brown mentioned prior inspections of the facilities didn’t uncover fraud and that regulators are conducting further unannounced visits to overview issues raised by the video.

“We’re conscious of a video that’s being circulated that has gained native and nationwide consideration about baby care facilities in Minnesota,” Brown mentioned.

“Whereas now we have questions on among the strategies that have been used within the video, we do take the issues that the video raises about fraud very significantly.”

Brown mentioned every facility talked about within the video has been visited not less than as soon as up to now six months as a part of the state’s licensing course of, with annual inspections carried out with out advance discover to evaluate regular operations.

She added that inspectors discovered kids current throughout these visits and that not one of the prior critiques uncovered fraud.

“None of these investigations uncovered findings of fraud,” Brown mentioned, including that there’s at the moment no pause on funds to the facilities named within the video.

Brown additionally acknowledged questions concerning the timing of the video visits, noting that regulators are in search of readability on whether or not footage was recorded throughout working hours or on days when facilities have been scheduled to be open.

In the meantime, the supervisor of High quality Studying Heart forcefully rejected the allegations, saying the video misrepresented the power by filming outdoors posted hours and falsely suggesting the enterprise was inactive.

“There’s no fraud occurring by any means,” mentioned Ibrahim Ali, the middle’s supervisor. “Youngsters come to us, shoppers come to us, their mother and father come to us – they’re right here each day, they go away on time, they arrive on time. There is no such thing as a fraud occurring by any means.”

Ali mentioned the middle operates Monday by Thursday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., serving primarily after-school kids, and has remained open for greater than eight years with out interruption.

He additionally disputed claims made through the state briefing that the middle had closed as a result of area issues, calling that assertion false.

“We haven’t closed. We’ve by no means closed,” Ali mentioned. “There was by no means a time the place youngsters have been instructed to cease coming. There was by no means a time we instructed our workers to cease coming. All that’s false data.”

Ali mentioned the scrutiny has been damaging to the enterprise and the broader Somali neighborhood, arguing that allegations have been amplified with out proof and unfairly linked to ethnicity.

“Are you making an attempt to report that we’re doing fraud or are you making an attempt to place the Somali title and the fraud in the identical sentence?” Ali mentioned. “That’s what actually harm us the final couple of days.”

State officers mentioned further web site visits are underway and emphasised that any credible proof of fraud could be investigated, whereas Ali invited media and inspectors to return throughout working hours to look at regular exercise.

The response follows the discharge of a 42-minute video by Shirley, posted Friday on X and YouTube, documenting visits to a number of daycare facilities within the state, together with a location on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.

Within the video, Shirley and one other man are seen at what seems to be a largely inactive baby care facility. The constructing additionally shows a misspelled signal studying “High quality Learing Heart,” although the middle is reportedly purported to account for 99 kids and obtained roughly $4 million in state funds.

Throughout a Sunday look on Fox Information’ “The Massive Weekend Present,” Shirley mentioned the alleged fraud in Minnesota was “so apparent” {that a} “kindergartner might determine that there’s fraud occurring.”

Shirley additionally urged different journalists could also be reluctant to pursue comparable reporting out of worry of being labeled “Islamophobic” or “racist.”

“Fraud is fraud, and we work too arduous merely simply to be paying taxes and enabling fraud to be taking place,” he mentioned.

The video has sparked widespread backlash, drawing criticism of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz all through the weekend from a number of high-profile figures, together with Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.

Fox Information Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.