Minnesota Childcare Centers in ‘Extreme Neglect’: Independent Journalists Uncover Systemic Fraud

By Wire Service
Monday, December 29, 2025

Brooke Shirley told a news outlet Monday that what she witnessed while helping her son, independent journalist Nick Shirley, investigate alleged fraud at Minnesota childcare centers was “mind blowing.”

Shirley, herself an independent journalist, described scenes on a broadcast program that she said no parent would ever accept and questioned how such operations could continue unchecked for years. She reflected on the reporting trip that led to her son’s viral video exposing what they allege is widespread fraud tied to government-funded childcare centers in Minnesota’s Somali community.

“What we uncovered in just a few hours was mind blowing,” Shirley said.

Nick Shirley’s investigation has attracted widespread online attention, surpassing 1.7 million views on social media platforms and more than 121 million views across digital networks as of Monday night. But Shirley emphasized that the viral footage only captures a fraction of what they observed during days of on-the-ground reporting.

“They are everywhere,” she said when asked about the number of childcare centers they encountered.

Shirley said her son and she initially traveled to Minnesota in June for a separate story focused on demographic changes and the growth of the Somali population. While there, they were repeatedly contacted by residents who alleged abuse of childcare assistance programs.

“So many people reached out to us and started telling us about the fraud,” Shirley said. “We realized this was a whole different story.”

She said a local resident featured in the video, identified as David, has spent years documenting what he believed were suspicious operations, tracking reported revenues and comparing them with visible activity.

“He’s been dedicating like the past five years of his life to this,” Shirley said. “He’s been to lawmakers. He’s been to the [state] Capitol. He’s been to Gov. [Tim] Walz’s office. Nobody listens to him.”

What struck Shirley most, she said, were the physical conditions of the facilities.

“There’s snow on the ground, there’s no footprints,” she said. “There’s no playgrounds. There’s no cars in the parking lot. All of the windows are covered up.”

Speaking as a mother, Shirley said she could not imagine entrusting a child to such a place.

“I’m a mom. Would I ever in my life send my child to a day care like that where you can’t even see in?” she said.

Host Rob Schmitt suggested that such conditions could not have gone unnoticed in local communities, an assessment Shirley agreed with.

“People know,” she said. “If you live here, people know.”

Shirley said the video resonated because it came from independent journalists rather than politicians or government officials.

“It’s not a politician saying it,” Shirley said. “It’s someone from the outside showing what’s going on.”

The public reaction has reached national figures. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a series of posts Monday on social media platforms, said the Department of Justice has been investigating the fraud allegations “for months.” She wrote that 98 individuals have been charged — 85 of Somali descent — and more than 60 have been found guilty.

FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in Monday on social media platforms, writing that “even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”

“Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide,” Patel wrote.

Shirley said the situation has fueled public frustration over government accountability.

“It’s taxpayers,” she said. “Every one of us work hard every day to make a living and we pay taxes. And where’s it going?”