A recent investigation found that fraud in the Somali immigrant community in Minnesota was taking hundreds of millions, even billions, of dollars from taxpayers, and much of it was going to Somalia, where it was delivered into the hands of al-Shabaab terrorists.
The federal government already has launched an investigation, and now Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that under review will be those organizations and companies that shift money from one part of the globe to another – the money transfer schemes.
Egregious fraud in Minnesota has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, including funds sent to Somalia through money services businesses (MSBs), which provide financial services outside a formal bank.
Under @POTUS’ leadership, the @USTreasury will not stop until we…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) December 12, 2025
He explained, “Egregious fraud in Minnesota has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, including funds sent to Somalia through money services businesses (MSBs), which provide financial services outside a formal bank. Under @POTUS’ leadership, the @USTreasury will not stop until we fully investigate this deeply disturbing scam.
“To that end, Treasury will soon issue a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) subjecting certain Money Services Businesses (MSBs) to enhanced reporting requirements with FinCEN. This important tool will be used to make sure information regarding any such illicit activity is quickly reported to
@FinCENnews and made available to our law enforcement partners. This will empower investigators to develop additional leads through increased scrutiny on funds going to areas of concern, such as Somalia. Additionally, Treasury personnel are on the ground working hard to uncover the facts. FinCEN will soon be issuing Notices of Investigations to MSBs of concern, and I can report that
@IRSnews will be examining these businesses. Under President Trump, we will not stop until we fully investigate, analyze, and permanently end this massive fraud ring.”
The result will be increased requirements for financial reporting from a long list of organizations.
The Washington Examiner said, “The new order shows the Trump administration is ramping up its investigation into widespread claims of financial fraud involving Minnesota’s social services system. The stolen money has allegedly been siphoned by al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group based in Somalia.”
Bessent’s investigation actually started a few weeks ago, and this is the latest expansion.
President Donald Trump has blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was the failed vice presidential candidate on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, for letting Somali nationals take over the state and turn it into a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”
Walz, meanwhile, has promised to “welcome more” Somalians to his state.
BREAKING: Dr. Oz says Minnesota Governor Tim Walz KNEW about the fraud but did nothing about it because the Somali community votes Democrat. The fraud got so bad that members of the Somali community spoke out.
Autism spending went from $3 million to $400 million.
DEFUND THEM. pic.twitter.com/e8wPcX3cNP
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 10, 2025
Don’t let this story die, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz must be held criminally accountable.
“Over 480 DHS workers in Minnesota say Governor Walz covered up years of Somali linked fraud, totaling over a billion dollars.
Whistleblowers say Walz retaliated against them by threatening… pic.twitter.com/eDo9eFjq2H— A Man Of Memes (@RickyDoggin) December 6, 2025
It was an investigation by City-Journal that concluded, “Billions in taxpayer dollars have been stolen during the administration of Governor Tim Walz alone. Democratic state officials, overseeing one of the most generous welfare regimes in the country, are asleep at the switch. And the media, duty-bound by progressive pieties, refuse to connect the dots.”
The new, and major, fraud scheme “has allegedly been perpetrated by members of Minnesota’s sizeable Somali community,” the research explained. “Federal counterterrorism sources confirm that millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab.”
‘Walz’s political career’: Congressman willing to subpoena Minnesota guv over Somali fraud schemes