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Nick Shirley vs Tim Walz escalates: Amid Minnesota fraud row, Ohio daycare claims emerge
Nick Shirley visited several daycare centers in Minnesota to allege that many of the facilities receiving state funds were non-operational.
Independent journalist Nick Shirley visited several daycare centers in Minnesota to allege that many of the facilities receiving state funds were non-operational. The series of Shirley's videos, ‘Example of the Billions $$ of fraud taking place in Minnesota’, is going viral on social media. On Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel weighed in on the alleged fraud, saying it is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
Now, similar claims about daycares in Columbus, Ohio, have surfaced. A woman, Nakia Deon, posted a video on TikTok, requesting Shirley to do a similar investigation in her state.
“Nick Shirley, I hope you see this video. Please come to Columbus, Ohio. The reporting you did in Minnesota was amazing. Thank you for that. If you come to Ohio, you will find the exact same fraud," she said, further asking him to ‘talk to officials'.
The video has gone viral on social media. “DOJ should go ahead and create a Daycare Fraud Department right now. Looks like they’re going to be pretty busy in 2026,” a conservative commentator reacted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Hit Ohio next, where it's the same shady scene,” a second person tweeted.
Nick Shirley's Minnesota investigation
Minnesota Gov Tim Walz is facing intense scrutiny after Shirley posted his videos. “This is one of the hundreds of “daycares” receiving millions of dollars from the government. This daycare (that can’t even spell learning right) received $1,900,000 in tax-exempt funding from CCAP," he said, further adding that this is just one of the cases among the thousands of fraudulent businesses operating in Minnesota.
“Tim Walz is governor and knew about the fraud but never reported it," he added.
Reacting to the Minnesota fraud row, Kash Patel tweeted that the FBI has already ‘dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID’.
“The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,” he added. “The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing."
Tim Walz responds
“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed,” Walz's spokesperson told Fox News.
