Begging to be exploited

“I take responsibility for putting people in jail”

With fraud dominating the news in Minnesota, and new fraud revelations being uncovered by the feds here in the north star state daily, that’s all I’ve been writing about it seems. That, and immigration.

I’m going to make an effort to write about the other nonsense that this corrupt, fraud infested woke hell hole of a state is infested with. There’s a lot of it, but it’s just not being spotlighted.

Before I fine tune Minnesota Madness a little bit, yesterday I ran across a piece that published on Fort Worth LLC by Thomas Smith, the article is titled, ‘Begging to be exploited’: Indictments mount in Minnesota I thought I would republish here.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is again under fire over claims that his administration brushed aside early warnings about possible fraud tied to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Critics point to concerns raised by staff members who say billing irregularities were flagged—only to be minimized or suppressed inside state government. Walz, for his part, says accountability is already happening in the clearest way possible: through indictments and prosecutions.

A federal investigation is reportedly examining whether millions in taxpayer dollars were siphoned away and routed overseas, potentially to terrorist-linked organizations. In response, the U.S. Treasury Department is said to be stepping up fraud-related scrutiny in Minnesota as part of a wider enforcement push.

Walz has rejected the idea that the state is looking away now. “Certainly, I take responsibility for putting people in jail,” he said. “Those people are going to jail.” At the same time, he has pushed back on political attacks that he says risk turning a major fraud case into a broader smear—warning against using the scandal to stigmatize Somali Americans or immigrant communities.

Adding fuel to the criticism, an X account representing Minnesota state employees claimed the administration was warned early. “We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud,” the account posted, “but no, we got the opposite response.”

Minnesota prosecutor Joe Thompson, meanwhile, has framed the case as more than a single scheme carried out by a handful of bad actors. “This fraud crisis didn’t come out of nowhere,” he said. “It’s the result of widespread failure across nearly every level of leadership in Minnesota: Politicians who turned a blind eye. Agencies that failed to act.” Thompson also criticized what he described as missed urgency across institutions—from law enforcement and prosecutors to journalists, community leaders, and the broader public.

“This isn’t just a few criminals exploiting the system,” Thompson said. “This is a system that’s been begging to be exploited.” He closed with a warning that the fallout could go beyond finances: “If we keep ignoring the truth, we’re going to lose something far more important than money. We’re going to lose the Minnesota we know and love.”

Feeding Our Future operated more than 200 nutrition sites while allegedly submitting fraudulent invoices to obtain federal reimbursements. Authorities have indicted 86 people in connection with the case, many of them Somali.