Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times(emphasis ours),
The magnitude of Minnesota’s Somali welfare-fraud problem has only begun to surface- and it is tied to other fraud in ways that many Americans do not realize, according to statements made during a Feb. 10 Senate hearing in Washington.
A subcommittee focused on immigration and border security held a two-hour hearing titled, “Somali Fraud in Minnesota—The Tip of the Iceberg.” Both houses of Congress are exploring the problem and its possible remedies.
Two witnesses who testified are former State Department employeeswho worked abroad as foreign service officers. Both men reported seeing weaknesses in America’s systems for verifying backgrounds and identities of foreigners who apply for U.S. immigration benefits.
Committee chair Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), announced he is preparing legislation to stop fraudsters from sending stolen U.S. taxpayer dollars overseas with no meaningful scrutiny.
The committee’s ranking member, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said, “No one is here to defend fraud.” But he accused Senate Republicans of “choosing to point to a few isolated incidents and using them to cast suspicion on entire communities.”
Prosecutors estimated that fraudsters bilked $9 billion or more from 14 of the state’s Medicaid programs since 2018—and “credible reports” indicate some Minnesota officials knew about fraud dating to 2011 yet allowed it to persist, Cornyn said.
The Justice Department has charged 98 defendants, 85 of whom are of Somali descent,in Minnesota fraud cases; 64 have been convicted. Prosecutors have issued more than 1,750 subpoenas, executed more than 130 search warrants and conducted more than 1,000 witness interviews, he said.
Despite those large numbers, Cornyn said, “This recent episode, unfortunately, appears to be just the tip of the iceberg.”
The depth of Minnesota fraud is still being uncovered—and more schemes are now coming to light in states such as California.
Source: ZeroHedge News
