Minnesota officials respond to day care fraud viral video: 'No findings of fraud'
Homeland Security investigators on daycare checks in Minnesota. (Twitter)
(FOX 9) - Minnesota officials revealed Monday the state is taking a second look at several day care centers featured in a now viral YouTube fraud investigation but say past visits and investigations uncovered no hard evidence of fraud.
Day care fraud investigation
The backstory:
In the video, YouTuber Nick Shirley claimed to uncover $110 million in fraud during a visit to 10 day care centers in Minnesota.
The video has since spread rapidly in online circles and has led to a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel over the weekend and "door to door" day care checks by Homeland Security investigators in Minnesota on Monday.
Dig deeper:
Speaking on Monday, Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown addressed the video directly.
Brown says each of the 10 facilities featured in the YouTube video has been visited at least once by the state over the last six months as part of standard licensing checks. Now, Brown says the state is now reviewing each site again to check on the claims raised in the YouTube video.
No findings of fraud at the day care centers
Local perspective:
Brown said the previous visits were unannounced and children were present at each of the sites during the checks. The state also says the number of children at the day cares were consistent with what was expected at the facilities.
Those past checks have Brown's office wondering when Shirley shot his video. "When were the videos taken," Brown asked. "Were they during times that the center was scheduled to be open? Were they during the weekend?"
Brown says that's why the state is conducting follow-up checks this week.
By the numbers:
Brown says none of the day care centers featured in the YouTube video have had their payment paused by the state due to concerns of fraud. Officials say two of the centers featured in the video are actually closed, including the misspelled "Quality Learning Center" that shut down last week. Brown also says past investigations into some of the centers have uncovered no evidence of fraud.
"There have been ongoing investigations with several of those centers," Brown explained. "None of those investigations have uncovered findings of fraud."