The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Inside Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Fraud Scandal with Dustin Grage

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: The Truth with Lisa Boothe

Episode: Inside Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Fraud Scandal with Dustin Grage

Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Lisa Boothe
Guest: Dustin Grage (Minnesota-based GOP strategist, TownHall columnist)

---

Overview:

This episode explores the unfolding, multi-billion dollar fraud scandal in Minnesota involving taxpayer funds meant for programs such as child nutrition and autism therapy. The scheme is alleged to involve widespread fraud within nonprofits linked to the Somali community, with accusations ranging from "ghost meals" to terrorism financing. Lisa Boothe and guest Dustin Grage analyze how the fraud persisted for years, the failures of Governor Tim Walz’s administration, connections to larger issues of assimilation and immigration, and implications for state and national politics.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scope and Origins of the Fraud

• The scale of the fraud is enormous, possibly exceeding $6.5 billion when fully uncovered.
• Initial reports mention "up to a billion," but Grage insists the real figure is much higher.
  • “Frankly, we’re looking at billions of dollars.” – Dustin Grage [04:06]
• The scandal began with the CCAP daycare assistance program as early as 2014, with issues persisting through various administrations.

Timestamps:

• [02:38] Lisa introduces Dustin Grage, outlines the scandal
• [04:06] Grage details the real scope and whistleblower input

2. Mechanics: How the Fraud Worked

• The fraud centered around nonprofits, especially during the COVID pandemic, by exploiting government relief programs intended for housing, child nutrition, and therapy.
• Fraudsters funneled money via fake meal programs (like Feeding Our Future), using both real and fabricated identities.
  • Example: “They claimed to have been feeding more people per week than the population of the community.” – Dustin Grage [17:40]
• Money was sometimes transferred as cash via hawalas to the Horn of Africa, indirectly aiding terrorist groups by skimming off remittances.
  • “Al Shabaab is probably going to take a percentage off those money broker deals and then therefore you are funding terrorism.” – Dustin Grage [06:35]

3. Barriers to Oversight and Whistleblowing

• Repeated warnings dating back years were suppressed or ignored due to fears of being labeled racist for criticizing Somali-centric nonprofits.
  • “We would be accused of being racist because while you’re picking on the Somalis very specifically.” – Dustin Grage [10:36]
• Internal media suppression: Journalists relayed to Grage that newsrooms discouraged reporting on Somali-located fraud, fearing social backlash.

4. Government Inaction and Political Context

• The Walz administration briefly halted payments but reinstituted them after accusations of racism and subsequent legal challenges.
• Judicial protection: Example given where a conviction on Somali Medicaid fraud ($7.2 million) was overturned by a judge, despite a unanimous jury verdict.
  • “The judge… came back, reversed the ruling… It's absolutely insane.” – Dustin Grage [15:49]
• Republicans only recently gained committee oversight to investigate fraud at the state level.

5. Community Involvement and Dynamics

• Many in the Somali-American community either participated in, benefited from, or turned a blind eye to the fraud. Recruitment involved giving families cash kickbacks for child names on fake rosters.
• Still, some Somali whistleblowers have come forward but must remain anonymous due to clan-related social risks.
  • “A lot of the whistleblowers are actually Somalian… but they can’t actually even come out publicly… their family will disown them.” – Dustin Grage [25:19]

6. Broader Immigration and Assimilation Issues

• Large-scale fraud seen as evidence of failed assimilation: enclaves within Minneapolis do not culturally integrate, making law enforcement and oversight challenging.
  • “You can't go city blocks without a translator in some of these areas.” – Dustin Grage [25:19]
• The cycle continues as new immigrants arrive under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which Grage opposes keeping after so many decades.

7. Federal Response and Future Policy

• The Department of Justice has charged 75+ defendants in the Feeding Our Future scheme, but state-level action remains limited.
• Trump administration is said to be planning further crackdowns, potentially including denaturalization for those convicted of serious fraud or with terrorist ties.
  • “If you committed immigration fraud, you should also have to go back home.” – Dustin Grage [34:25]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Scale and Secrecy:
  “The fraud could exceed $6.5 billion when we’re all said and done with this just in the time that Tim Walz has been governor.”
  – Dustin Grage [04:06]

• On Social Pressures:
  “I've been told this from mainstream media journalists in Minnesota... they're tired of being accused of being a racist simply for trying to do their job.”
  – Dustin Grage [10:36]

• On Lack of Oversight:
  “You have to believe just everyone is in on it at this point.”
  – Dustin Grage [15:49]

• On Assimilation:
  “When you’re just forced to not assimilate, you’re just simply not going to adjust to the new culture of where you’re being dropped off at.”
  – Dustin Grage [25:19]

• On Policy Solutions:
  “Denaturalization pretty much could fall into two categories right now. One, you have a terrorist association... Two, you committed immigration fraud...”
  – Dustin Grage [34:25]

• On Trump’s Awareness:
  “I could tell you fairly often... he definitely has a magnifying glass on Minnesota right now. And yeah, he’s going to crack down hard on it coming up here.”
  – Dustin Grage [36:35]

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• Overview of the scandal and guest intro – [02:38 – 04:06]
• Origins and escalation of fraud – [06:35 – 10:28]
• Oversight barriers and race accusations – [10:36 – 12:56]
• Whistleblower challenges and demographic insights – [15:36 – 19:49]
• Assimilation and community effects – [25:19 – 30:31]
• Policy and proposed crackdowns – [34:25 – 36:35]

---

Tone and Style

The conversation is direct, political, and at times combative, especially on issues relating to race, immigration, and assimilation. Lisa Boothe and Dustin Grage mix investigative seriousness with pointed, occasionally provocative commentary.

---

Summary Prepared for Listeners:
This podcast provides a granular, insider’s take on the massive fraud scandal in Minnesota, linking it to systemic failures of governance, challenges within immigrant communities, and the political consequences of identity-driven oversight failures. The episode spotlights the confluence of local corruption, federal action, and national political strategy—capturing the scope and urgency of the controversy for audiences not previously familiar with these developments.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[NordicTrack Advertiser]

The only thing between you and your best self is a start button this Cyber Monday Explore the world with NordicTrack from the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris, every workout moves you somewhere new with IFIT trainers leading the way. The equipment's amazing, smooth, quiet and those screens make it all feel real. Ready to start your next workout adventure with the number one treadmill brand in the U.S. shop NordicTrack.com for Cyber Monday savings. NordicTrack train anywhere, explore everywhere.

[Dustin Grage]

Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the.

[Podcast Host]

Bottom of the ocean.

[Miko Mini Advertiser]

Where did that story come from? Book Dream? Nope. It came from a conversation. Meet Miko Mini plus, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape and what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Mikomini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.

[Washington Post Advertiser]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting For a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart bring incredible sound into.

[Whimsound Advertiser]

Every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound Smart speaker. Get high resolution audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $2.99. From quiet mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Wimsound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim sound beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's wiimsound this holiday season give the gift.

[Podcast Host]

Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 100 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus with Watch Free plus built in, they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app. Ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs today.

[Lisa Booth]

Welcome to the Truth with Lisa Booth where we get to the heart of the issues that matter to you today. We're diving deep into Minnesota's billion dollar fraud scandal. We're talking ghost meals, sham therapies and kickbacks that allegedly funneled taxpayer cash to terrorists. All on Tim Walls is watch with state inaction fueled by fears of racism due to the Somali community, which is where this is all tied to. So joining me to discuss it all and to dig into it all and to expose it all is Dustin Gray. She's a Minnesota based GOP strategist. He's also a town hall columnist and he's a relentless Walls critic who has been sounding the alarm on this mess from day one. So we'll dig into all of it with Dustin Grage. Stay tuned. Well, Dustin, it's great to have you on the show. You know, we were joking before we got started that Tim Walls is keeping you busy here.

[Dustin Grage]

Yes, yes, he has been.

[Lisa Booth]

Kick us off. Walk us through. There's this big fraud scandal that hit the state of Minnesota and the scale is extremely large. I mean, we're talking about up to a billion dollars, one of the biggest fraud scandals we've seen in quite some time. And it all unfolded under the Tim Walls administration not doing anything about it. So walk us through sort of big picture. What are you hearing in the state and what do we know so far?

[Dustin Grage]

Well, and I guess honestly, Lisa, like the biggest thing right out of the gate there with the statement of we're looking up to a billion dollars. I mean, frankly, we're looking at billions of dollars. I think early on with the RUFO report, you know, the billions number was thrown out there. Not a lot of that is quite yet public. So then it's been lowered to a billion at this point based on that reporting. But quite frankly, U.S. attorney Joe Thompson, the former one, now he's on his way out just simply because we had a new Trump pick come in. So that was just the current acting U.S. attorney General in Minnesota. He had thrown out the number of billions because that's currently what's under investigation right now. The charges haven't quite been, you know, brought forward publicly yet at this point. But, but there is billions of dollars at this point and that could be confirmed through the different whistleblowers that have come forward to the Fraud and Oversight Committee here in Minnesota. So that's been established in the Minnesota State House under Speaker Lisa Damith and now the chair of that committee being Kristen Robbins. Both are actually governor candidates here. Right. In Minnesota. So fraud is a massive issue here going against Tim Walls. But yeah, the number is definitely to the tune of billions of dollars. So, yeah, there's going to be a lot more to come here. And even some of those whistleblowers within dhs, many are probably familiar with the group that recently went very ultra viral. They actually surpassed me as the most viral Republican leaning tweet in the state history. My record was 28 million views. They broke it with 35 million so far on theirs. And that's where they came out recently, blaming Tim Walls 100% for the fraud that has occurred. And that same group had predicted that by the end of when all this is kind of shaped out and done, and this isn't just Somali fraud, but all of the fraud as a whole within DHS, they predict the fraud could exceed $6.5 billion when we're all said and done with this just in the time that Tim Walls has been governor.

[Lisa Booth]

And so basically, you know, what happened is, you know, involves this network of Minnesota nonprofits primarily tied to the Somali community in Minnesota. And, you know, they stole these funds that were meant for child nutrition, housing, autism therapy programs during the COVID era. I guess walk us through a little bit about how the fraud worked and what we know about the fraud.

[Dustin Grage]

Yeah, so. And I'll actually bring us right back to the very beginning, which is back in 2014. It goes that far back. So back then it was. There was a program known as ccap and it's still active today. They've fixed up a little bit of the fraud issues with that program, but there's still plenty of it. But what this is a daycare assistance program in the state of Minnesota. It was one of the very first ones kind of in the Somali fraud realm. There were issues back then under Governor Mark Dayton at the time, and Republicans were calling this out. This was a main campaign issue at the door. As I had personally worked for the state party at the time, it was a big issue we're bringing up, hey, this is something we just have to pay attention to because we think this is going to be a problem. And keep in mind, I was knocking doors in St. Cloud. Everyone's familiar with Minneapolis, but St. Cloud is the number two hub in the state of Minnesota for Somalis. A massive population out there, considerate of the population. And it, you know, there was pushback when we came to the, with that issue because we were, quote, unquote, targeting the Somali community, but that's ultimately where the fraud was coming from. Now, we didn't quite tie it quite to the Horn of Africa and terrorism at that point. Fast forward to 2018. We actually had a whistleblower come to the State Senate and claim that under CCAP there was money being sent overseas. And come back to the Chris Rufa report. How kind of this claim of, well, it's going to fund Al Shabaab. Chris references how that's being done is through something called hawalas. So in the Horn of Africa, it's a fairly unstable region in the world, largely run by terrorists. They don't really have banks there. They have these hawalas, which are basically money brokers. So if you're just simply sending money over to your family, which, you know, it's a third world country, and even if you're just a checkout clerk at a gas station here, you're considered rich in that community. So if you're just saying over back money to help family and you know you're doing it for all the right reasons, Al Shabaab is probably going to take a percentage off of those money broker deals and then therefore you are funding terrorism. Not even if it's not directly and intentionally you're doing. So this was being brought back in 2018, and in particular, it was a suitcase filled with a million dollars cold hard cash being sent over to Somalia. This is what kind of ignited this conversation of, whoa, we're going to fund Al Shabaab. And because we're catching the bank wire transfers, they're now having to send in cold hard cash. This is when it really started to blow up. Now, granted, not to the levels it is now. The mainstream media here in Minnesota maybe touched on this for a week and then they forgot about it. And it's been forgotten about since probably 2022 is when it really started to pick up again, because as everyone knows, 2020 comes along and then it just blows up. Granted, a lot of people don't know it's blowing up at this point, but everyone can guess why. There's just absolutely no oversight on these Covid spending bills. And it's going to all these different things. Now we're talking about not just ccap, which is daycare fraud, we're talking about autism fraud, food fraud being the biggest one, obviously with feeding our future. We're talking about adult disability fraud with assistance in that manner. And I'll cover a couple of these in more detail. But ultimately, at the End of the day, that's where we kind of fast forward into now we're touching into a dozen different programs to the tunes of hundreds of millions of dollars in some of these. And now when you total it all up, billions of dollars, at least a billion has been come forward and confirmed charged fraud. But at the end of the day, this will end up being billions of dollars in fraud for sure.

[Lisa Booth]

Why did it take so long then? You know, I mean, if this has been going on that long, like, how did you know what I mean? Like, how did it not get.

[Dustin Grage]

How did it not get so even going back to 2014 there when, like, we're knocking out the doors. Diamond St. Cloud, doing this in a, you know, rich community, you would be accused of being a racist because while you're picking on the Somalis very specifically and you know, that's racist a lot. And I've been told this from mainstream media journalists in Minnesota because a handful of them are kind of in my pocket in terms of like, hey, we appreciate what you're doing on X and shine a light on, you know, we can't do it because, you know, we bring these stories forward, but our newsroom stops us. And then we can't do it because our bosses say, no, we can't report on that. They tell me that they're tired of being. Being accused of being a racist simply for trying to do their job. But that does happen very often. And if you go to 2022 during the gubernatorial race that cycle, Omar Fatah is actually seen recorded on video at a Feeding Our Future event saying how they had a great victory in court on preventing the payments from being stopped because they went forward to the courts and the Walls administration on, hey, you're racist for targeting a Somali community organization basically. Now, the head lady was white, but 76 of the 78 currently charged in this Femar future case are all from the Horn of Africa. That's where they kind of come from. It's either Somal, Somaliland, Kenya or Ethiopia. Those are the kind of the four countries there that this is all concentrated around. So, yeah, you would be ultimately claimed being called a racist in the process. But, you know, it's kind of like this, this toxic empathy in a matter. And like, that's just kind of how it ended up happening because people just kind of let it happen because they would be accused of being called a racist. And, you know, at the end of the day, I think that's the ultimate underlying reason why it kept going. But yeah, as well, there was just no rail guards on any of this stuff in terms of oversight. And at the end of the day, it definitely falls on the governor and his administration for failing to see these warnings because Republicans, frankly, we have been warning about it for years. It was just ignored.

[Lisa Booth]

Got to take a quick commercial break. More with Dustin on the other side.

[NordicTrack Advertiser]

The only thing between you and your best self is a start button this Cyber Monday. Explore the world with NordicTrack. From the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris, every workout moves you somewhere new with iFit trainers leading the way. The equipment's amazing, smooth, quiet and those screens make it all feel real. Ready to start your next workout adventure with the number one treadmill brand in the U.S. shop NordicTrack.com for Cyber Monday savings. NordicTrack train anywhere, explore everywhere.

[Dustin Grage]

Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the.

[Podcast Host]

Bottom of the ocean.

[Miko Mini Advertiser]

Where did that story come from? Book Dream? Nope. It came from a conversation. Meet Mikomini, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape and what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Miko Mini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.

[Washington Post Advertiser]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning Reporting for a limited time, access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart bring incredible sound into.

[Whimsound Advertiser]

Every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $299. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Winsound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whimsound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S O.

[Podcast Host]

U n D this holiday season, give the gift of incredible sound with Vizio's full soundbar lineup available at Walmart. Transform any living room into a home theater with rich, immersive audio that brings every movie, show and song to life. Whether you're gifting a loved one or upgrading your own setup, Vizio soundbars deliver powerful, crystal clear, clear sound that turns ordinary watching into extraordinary experiences. Stream your favorite holiday Playlist with the iHeartRadio app and discover how good your music can truly sound. Head to Walmart.com and find your perfect Vizio soundbar today.

[Lisa Booth]

We know whistleblower complaints and there were internal concerns raised at least as early as 2018-2020. But Tim Wall's administration did nothing. How much do you think he knew that this was going on?

[Dustin Grage]

No, I mean, quite frankly, there are reports out there that showed they suspected fraud, in particular with fina, Our Future. That's why they very briefly stopped payments. And then these accusations of well, you're racist came out. Then they let the payments kept going and then they brought it to court and let the court settle it. Well, the courts are all owned by Democrats as well. And you know, before I continue on that point, I'll mention that we've actually had one of our cases was a state brought case on these Somali fraudsters. It was a $7.2 million medicated fraud scheme run out of a PO box. The jury came back after four hours of deliberation, Lisa, they came back unanimous. This guy's guilty. Slap it shut. This case is closed. The judge who was appointed by a Democrat governor came back, reversed the ruling. They said, hey, we understand this jury conviction was unanimous and you think this guy's guilty without beyond a reasonable doubt, I'm reversing that decision. And now that's going to appeals right now. So even in the one state case we can find, they're actually reversing rulings on Somali Medicaid fraud. It's an absolutely insane. But at the end of the day, yeah, like there's just absolutely no oversight. And even when there is a state Brock case that's not pushed by the feds, we're overturning conviction right now on Somali fraud. It's absolutely insane. And you have to believe just everyone is in on it at this point.

[Lisa Booth]

A lot of these parents, I mean recruiters were paying, you know, 100 to 300 per child per month to some of these parents to put their children's names on fake rosters. You know, so a lot of families in the community were going along with this knowingly.

[Dustin Grage]

Well, yeah. And that there is definitely cases of that where, you know, there's maybe community members. But honestly a lot of it is fake names and date of births and everything. Like when we're looking at feeding our future. There was a case up in the, I believe, Bemidji Moorhead area, it's northern Minnesota. They actually had a case where someone was, you know, doing millions of dollars in fraud. I think it was a little under $2 million. But they claim to have been feeding more people per week than there was the population of the community. More than double the population of the community on a weekly basis. That's what they were claiming. And by the way, this was like kids they were feeding, quote, unquote. So we're only counting the kids in this instance of what we're actually feeding with feeding our future for this case. But, like, it's just so clearly overblown and. Yeah, and that's where I was on that last point of walls, actually. There's a been an investigation that they did suspect fraud and they could have done this. They could have went in and subpoenaed the bank records as well. They actually found that they refused to subpoena the bank records. And then they made this giant complaint of, well, we can actually do that. But it was later proved in that investigation they could have. And yeah, it just appears that this is a giant racketeering campaign, whether it's intentional or not. Because also the larger point of this is, yeah, Somali fraudsters, there's only like a hundred thousand of them in this state. It's small population, but they're committing over half of the fraud. Like, it's absolutely insane. But these fraudsters, they're actually donating to the Democrat candidates within these campaigns that are running statewide and for state legislative offices. So it's essentially whether it's intentional or not, operating as a racketeering campaign of money laundering government dollars to Democrat campaigns which are becoming the judges and the state officials that are ultimately going to go ahead and prosecute this crime. And we have to wonder, why is it only federal authorities that are actually coming through and prosecuting the crime? Maybe Democrats are in on this. I mean, you have to believe that at some point.

[Lisa Booth]

Quick break. Stay with us. If you like what you're hearing, please share on social media or send it to your family and friends.

[NordicTrack Advertiser]

The only thing between you and your best self is a start button. This Cyber Monday. Explore the world with NordicTrack. From the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris, every workout moves you somewhere new with iFit trainers leading the way. The equipment's amazing, smooth, quiet, and those screens make it all feel real. Ready to start your next workout adventure with the number one treadmill brand in the US shop Nordic track dynamics for Cyber Monday savings NordicTrack train anywhere, explore everywhere.

[Dustin Grage]

Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the.

[Podcast Host]

Bottom of the ocean.

[Miko Mini Advertiser]

Where did that story come from? Book Dream? Nope. It came from a conversation. Meet Miko Mini plus, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time time. What color was the hamster's cape and what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Miko Mini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.

[Washington Post Advertiser]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning Reporting for a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime. But don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart bring incredible sound into.

[Whimsound Advertiser]

Every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whim Sound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in in one powerful speaker for just $2.99. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Whim Sound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim Sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S o.

[Podcast Host]

U n d this holiday season, give the gift of incredible sound with Vizio's full soundbar lineup available at Walmart. Transform any living room into a home theater with rich, immersive audio that brings every movie, show and song to life. Whether you're gifting a loved one or upgrading your own setup, Vizio soundbars deliver powerful, crystal clear sound that turns ordinary watching into extraordinary experiences. Stream your favorite holiday Playlist with the iHeartRadio app and discover how good your music can truly sound. Head to Walmart.com and find your perfect Vizio soundbar today.

[Lisa Booth]

I mean, is walls corrupt?

[Dustin Grage]

I mean, I would say so. Now can we prove it? Like in a, in a, in a court? You know, that's a completely different waterline on what we would have to actually prove. But I mean, where there's smoke. Where there's smoke, there's fire. I mean there's just too much here. And like people made the complaints. Well, fraud's so much worse than California. Look, we have tens of billions of dollars in fraud. It's like, yeah, sure, but if you just take like LA and San Francisco, you have more people in two cities than the entire state of Minnesota. I mean, the amount of fraud for how little of a population we have, it's absolutely unprecedented. I mean, we're by far the worst in the country. It's not even close. And yeah, when you have trifecta Democrat control holding levers of power for every single facet of the government with the exception of just recently, we tied, and I just, we tied the State House because of that. We got the Fraud Prevention Committee that's run by Republicans. We were able to get that in a broker deal. Literally the only thing operating in this state is just simply putting a magnifying glass on the fraud. And it's just blowing up right now just simply for oversight on fraud. Imagine if Republicans had a single body, let alone just a majority on a single committee. I mean, it's unprecedented. And you had just had to believe that Democrats are in on this fraud because otherwise it would be blowing up. But it simply isn't because they have total control other than this one committee that's putting a magnifying glass. And because that magnifying glass is there, we're all talking about it on the national level. Otherwise if we didn't, nobody would frankly know that this is even happening right now. It's bizarre, but that's the truth.

[Lisa Booth]

And I think there's been, you know, something like 75 plus defendants in the Feeding Our Future scheme alone that have now been charged by the Department of Justice sort of, you know, collectively. But to your point, I mean, this is part of like broader, you know, fraud that we're seeing with the Somali community and in, you know, the Minnesota area. I mean, we learned back in September about Operation Twin Shield. It was this 10 day surge of site visits and interviews across Minneapolis, St. Paul area looking at over 1,000 high risk immigration cases. And they found fraud, non compliance or public safety concerns. And about 44% of those reviewed it led to, you know, 42 ICE referrals, also arrests as well. I mean, so I guess what does that tell us about the Somali community in the Minneapolis area?

[Dustin Grage]

You know, it's not good, you know, and I people and if you just touch the subject, you're, you're immediately labeled a racist. And honestly, I'm just sick of the bullshit. So I'm Just going to cut through it that, yes, this, this is a Somali. When you take individuals who have just been in civil war their entire lives and that's just like the culture that you grow up in, and then you import that in mass to a single area and I'm talking like maybe three cities, and you just plop them in. These three cities in particular, Minneapolis, which is out pushed now to like some suburban areas in St. Cloud, I'm spacing on my other town. Wilmer is kind of the third one lesser known, smaller population. But you just put them in groups and then you're forced to not assimilate to a new culture. I mean, there are city blocks and I've talked with a couple of different bloggers since this has blown up. They've come to Minneapolis and actually they're shooting documentaries right now. I've got one friend who's gonna have a documentary coming out and they actually had a Somali gangster run at them with a gun. That's. You're probably gonna see that on a documentary coming up here soon because these white people went in to a community where you frankly can't go city blocks without a translator in some of these areas. And when you're the only white person, people, especially with all this fraud kind of coming down, they're like, well, you're not here for the right reasons. You're here to expose all this fraud that's happening. You know, you're going to come with some pushback against you when you go into those communities right now. And you know, it was dangerous. They actually left early, halfway through the documentary. They got plenty of content apparently because they were happy with it. But they ended up leaving earlier than they anticipated originally because it was quickly spreading. Like, hey, these guys are going around with the camera and they're not welcome here. You know, it started to get dangerous after a while for these guys. So when you're just forced to not assimilate, you're just simply not going to adjust to the new culture of where you're being dropped off at. And it's become a problem now where, yeah. Where we have this toxic empathy. And if you just kind of take this culture of, I mean, just quite frankly, anarchy, because that's where Somalia was. When they came here, they were in the middle of civil war under a communist socialist dictatorship under Siad Bar, with these clan wars on top of that. And we've honestly just brought that back here. The funny thing that I have mentioned to some other podcasters here too in personalities is the clan wars involved in this, people have asked like, well, why aren't Somalians speaking up? The funny part is that a lot of the whistleblowers are actually Somalian. It's actually Somalians coming forward and saying, hey, we want to get rid of these bad apples. The problem is they can't actually even come out publicly and say it's them being the whistleblowers on this fraud because they might be a part of a clan that's connected to a member of the community and that's committing the fraud, and it would make their clan look bad. And because of that, their family will disown them. And they. So they can't actually speak up publicly on this. They have to do it through a whistleblower status. So it's just layer after layer with this fraud stuff. And that is ultimately, at the end of the day, why it has gone on so long, because you also have all of these other layers involved with the Somali fraud. And that's where it's gotten us today.

[Lisa Booth]

You know, from your experiences. To what extent do the people in the Somali community in the Minneapolis area, do they assimilate at all or what have you seen?

[Dustin Grage]

Much less so in Minneapolis, there's no question about that. I mean, in St. Cloud and Wilmer, I think it's much more so, like, you are assimilating more. And some people in St. Cloud might disagree with me on that. But they haven't been to Cedar Riverside in Minneapolis. It's a very different area there, where in particular there's a couple city blocks where you're just not assimilating, just like, these are the areas where the mosques are, and you're just strictly speaking Arabic of some type or Somali of some type, and you're not communicating with the outside world. You just kind of keep to yourself. And if someone comes at you with a camera and asks you, hey, let's talk about this, you'll have women tell the interviewers, like, nope, you're a man. I can't speak to you. Like, there's that level of not the ability to assimilate. Now, does that mean it's everybody? No. I know plenty of people that have taken off their jobs, that they've moved out of the area and they're working members of society and they do great work. They're real entrepreneurs, not fraudsters. Like, there's very good people. Like, I'm not. I'm not trying to lump them all in here, but there is a faction that refuses to assimilate, and those individuals are definitely a part of the problem when it comes to this because it's adding to these layers of we can't unveil the fraud because there's no ability to actually assimilate with this culture. And ultimately it adds to these layers of how the fraud can stay hidden for so long.

[Lisa Booth]

Well, I also think people, you know, generally find it wrong to, for us to be gracious enough to allow people into our country and then they steal from us, as evidenced by this fraud scheme. Or, you know, they engage in immigration fraud. Either, you know, either way, they're. They're taking advantage of the kindness of the American people. You know, I know President Trump is, you know, cracking down. He has announced with the, the TPS and blanking on the. What it stands for.

[Dustin Grage]

Yeah, the temporary protective.

[Lisa Booth]

Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, sorry, I had it written down that I didn't have in front of me. So what do you make of that? And sort of what impact do you think that might have?

[Dustin Grage]

Yeah, and so, I mean, temporary protective status, it's a very small populate. I mean, we're talking about 400 Somalis maybe in, in the Minneapolis, in the Minnesota area. There's, you know, another couple hundred there across the nation that are under that status. It's a very small amount. But granted, the argument I have for this on why that should be removed is simply temporary protective status. The word temporary that has been in place for 30 years. There is nothing temporary of that being around my entire lifetime. I think there's like a month difference between it being established and my birth date. There's not contemporary about that. I mean, you have to remove that. And people also have to ask, like, okay, if it's still so bad there in Somalia 34 years later, like, how is this culture supposed to assimilate to us? I mean, the answer very clearly is we can't accept more refugees from there because we're only going to keep adding to this pile because you will have like, yeah, second and third generation Somalis that are assimilating, they're going to school, they're learning English, they're getting real jobs out there. You know, good, good individuals in the community. And quite frankly, some of them even converting to Christianity. Like, you have that in some cases. But when you keep bringing people over from Somali, you're kind of restarting this clock again. And this is a problem with, like, Italians. You know, I came over to New York so many years ago, like, you had the mob and all these other things, and they even had issues assimilating. But now you're just like, resetting the clock every time you bring over new Somalis that refuse to assimilate. And so you're just in longing the problem as we refuse to assimilate. So it's a big issue there. But tps, you know, it's more of a retaliatory thing, in my opinion, which, honestly, fine, like, it's temporary status. We have to remove this at some point. We have to eventually remove ourselves from it. But at the end of the day, Alisa, the big thing the Trump administration has to hit on, and they are, by the way, like, I have some individuals from the administration who are, you know, letting me know some of this info, like, they're going to start cracking down much heavier on the Somali community here in Minnesota because of this fraud. They feel like we're being fleeced, and rightfully so. We are. And a lot of these assets, even that have been stolen at this point, like, we can't get them. Like, they ship the money off already in many cases. So, like, yeah, you put a $10 million judgment against someone. Well, they already. They already sent the money overseas. It's already over in Al Shabaab. It's already been funding things. They've already bought mansions in Kenya. We can't get that back. You know, so there's. There's major problems here. And ultimately, like, we have to send a message at some point that this has to stop, and that's what the Trump administration is doing. And the way we could do that. First two steps, denaturalization. What are our paths? They're currently in our toolbox. Denaturalization pretty much could fall into two categories right now. One, you have a terrorist association. There's probably some out there. I think we should crack down on those. If we have terrorists in our country that are sympathetic to that, or they're sending money directly to Al Shabaab, they gotta get out of here. Send them back. Number two, you committed immigration fraud. You lied on your paperwork. Different things like that. There's a kind of a famous one out there that people might be familiar with. Ilama married your brother. I'm just saying what a great message, a strong message that would be like, hey, we don't care the level of power. You have a member of Congress. If you committed immigration fraud, you're going home. And I think they should make that decision, and I think they should fall through with it, because we know she married her brother. We know this for a fact. The one problem I think. Well, there's two problems. One, the political part of it, and the kickback that you'll get for deporting Ilhan Omar. Two statute of limitations, but she has definitely committed perjury in multiple cases that can kind of revert that back and bring it forward. But if you committed immigration fraud, you should also have to go back home. And then the third point, we have to, we have to go back to Congress and ultimately add some new ways we can denaturalize individuals. And you know, a great one would be, hey, you've committed millions of dollars in fraud or you are a violent criminal. If you're within a certain statute of limitations and you do these crimes, you should also have to go back. So we should create new ways to find denaturalization processes. Because if you're refusing to assimilate and you're a violent criminal and you're committing fraud and you're doing all of these things, you should have to go back. And we shouldn't have to have the good Somalis that are here, because there are good ones. There really are. They shouldn't have to be punished because of your bad behavior. So let's stop resetting the clock. Let's find new ways to do to a path of denaturalization and find a way for these good Somalis to actually have a life in Minnesota and have a life in the United States who are proud to be Americans.

[Lisa Booth]

Well, you know, I mean, there's a lot of good people ever. We just can't take everyone in. I was going to say, I wonder how frequently President Trump thinks about Elon Omar.

[Dustin Grage]

I could tell you fairly often there's some good friends within the Republican congressional delegation here in Minnesota and they, they text Trump frequently. And he definitely has a magnifying glass on Minnesota right now. And yeah, he's going to crack down hard on it coming up here. Stephen Miller is also very passionate about this. And Minnesotans, I think we're just very happy that the attention's finally being brought forward and, you know, we can fix some of these issues that are very clear and glaring right now.

[Lisa Booth]

Well, we'll stay on top of it. Dustin Grage, appreciate you for making the time to come on the show.

[Dustin Grage]

Awesome, guys.

[Lisa Booth]

That was Dustin Grage. Appreciate him for making the time to come on the show. Appreciate you guys at home for listening. Every Tuesday and Thursday. You can listen throughout the week. Also want to thank John Casio, my producer, for putting the show together.

[Dustin Grage]

Until next time, the only thing between.

[NordicTrack Advertiser]

You and your best self is a start button this Cyber Monday. Explore the world with NordicTrack from the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris. Every workout moves you somewhere new with IFIT trainers leading the way. The equipment's amazing, smooth, quiet and those screens make it all feel real. Ready to start your next workout adventure with the number one treadmill brand in the US or shop NordicTrack.com for Cyber Monday savings? NordicTrack train anywhere. Explore everywhere.

[Dustin Grage]

Shh. You won't believe what my new friend.

[Miko Mini Advertiser]

Just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meiko Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini plus only at Costco.

[Washington Post Advertiser]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting For a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart bring incredible sound into.

[Whimsound Advertiser]

Every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $299. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Whim Sound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim Sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's wiimsound.

[Podcast Host]

This holiday season give the gift. Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 100 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus with Watch Free plus built in, they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs today.

[Lisa Booth]

This is an Iheart podcast.

[Podcast Host]

Guaranteed human.