YouTuber to testify before Congress on Minnesota's massive $9B fraud network investigation
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance is holding a hearing centered around various Minnesota fraud scandals and will feature testimony from Nick Shirley, a YouTuber and freelance journalist who helped uncover an organized fraud network in the state.
The hearing, "When Public Frauds are Abused: Addressing Fraud and the Theft of Taxpayer Dollars," will be held Jan. 21, and will focus on several cases of fraud that took place in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
"I pulled up earlier today a report from last July, and they're interviewing [Minnesota] residents," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who chairs the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital. "You can't keep anything on your porch or in your yard because it gets stolen, you get your windows broken out of your car.
"It seems lawless," he added.
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In 2022, federal officials in Minnesota launched an independent investigation into Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that prosecutors later described as a key driver of what grew into one of the largest COVID-relief fraud schemes on record.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered an estimated $250 million in fraudulent claims, leading to criminal charges against 78 individuals. Prosecutors have said the total scope of the alleged fraud connected to the operation may ultimately approach $9 billion.
The hearing will feature testimony from Shirley in addition to Jennifer Larson, CEO of the Holland Autism Center and Clinic, and former Minnesota police officer and former Minnesota fraud investigator Scott Dexter.
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Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will be joining members of the subcommittee during the hearing.
Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., will also be in attendance, and told Fox News Digital the hearing’s purpose is a matter of "transparency, accountability and safeguards that prevent this kind of abuse from happening again."
"The scale of fraud uncovered in Minnesota is staggering, and it represents an egregious abuse of federal taxpayer dollars by criminal actors," Lee told Fox News Digital. "The House Judiciary Committee is committed to exposing the full scope of that fraud, understanding how it was carried out, and ensuring that taxpayer funds intended to help vulnerable Americans are not diverted into the pockets of criminals."
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Tensions in Minnesota rose after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a massive operation in the state, in an attempt to locate and arrest illegal migrants who have committed crimes, as well as those who may have contributed to the fraud scandal.
A historic number of ICE agents were deployed to the state, which prompted agitators to clash with federal agents.
Last week in south Minneapolis, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, during a federal enforcement operation after authorities said her vehicle charged toward agents on the street.
Good's death sparked widespread protests and unrest in the city in the days that followed.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as "domestic terrorism," claiming she attempted to use her vehicle against federal officers.
DHS also revealed Wednesday that the officer who shot Good suffered internal bleeding as a result of the incident.