WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The US Justice Department said on Monday that it has charged 98 individuals in connection with a wide-ranging fraud investigation in the state of Minnesota, with more prosecutions expected as the inquiry continues, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“We have charged 98 individuals in relation to fraud in Minnesota. More than 60 have pleaded guilty or been convicted. More to come,” the department said on the US social media platform X.
Federal authorities recently highlighted Minnesota’s Somali community as a centre of alleged misuse of millions of dollars in federal social service funds, while immigrant rights groups claim the probe unfairly singles out Somali residents.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said 85 of the individuals charged so far are of Somali descent.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday that significant progress has been made in the investigation of a “large-scale” fraud operation in Minnesota that exploited federal food aid programmes intended for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To date, the FBI dismantled a US$250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID,” he said.
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