Minnesota Pushes Ahead With Independent Inspector General as Lawmakers Intensify Probe Into Massive Somali Fraud Scandal

Minnesota lawmakers investigating what has become one of the largest social‑service fraud scandals in US history say they are encouraged by the state House’s overwhelming approval of a bill to establish an independent Office of the Inspector General. The measure passed with rare bipartisan force 126 votes to five signalling broad agreement that Minnesota needs a watchdog with real autonomy and enforcement power.

The bill now heads to the state Senate, where approval is expected, before reaching Governor Tim Walz, who has already indicated he will sign it. Under the legislation, the Office of the Inspector General will begin operating immediately and become fully empowered by 2028.

While the OIG will oversee all forms of state corruption, lawmakers say it will be instrumental in exposing the full scale of the Somali‑linked fraud schemes that have shaken Minnesota’s welfare system.

Federal prosecutors and US President Donald Trump allege that more than $9 billion has been stolen since 2018 through Minnesota‑based social‑service programs schemes they say appear dominated by members of the state’s large Somali community. That figure represents nearly half of the $18 billion in federal funds allocated to 14 Minnesota welfare programs over the same period.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, and investigators say a majority of the fraud cases originate there.

One of the most high‑profile prosecutions involves the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, created to support children during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Former executive director Aimee Bock has been convicted of wire fraud and bribery. Prosecutors say fraudsters created shell companies, fabricated meal sites, and submitted forged meal counts to the Minnesota Department of Education, falsely claiming to feed hundreds of thousands of children.

So far, 79 people most of them Somali Americans have been charged with misusing more than $250 million in federal grants.

State Rep. Kristin Robbins, the Republican chair of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee, said the OIG bill significantly strengthens the investigation into the scandal.

The committee recently issued a subpoena to Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose district includes the nation’s largest Somali community, seeking testimony about her alleged role in enabling the misuse of federal and state funds. Omar has refused to comply with the subpoena.

As Minnesota moves toward establishing its first independent Inspector General, lawmakers say the new office could finally bring full transparency to a scandal that has rattled public trust and exposed deep vulnerabilities in the state’s oversight systems.