Federal prosecutors charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud cases—85 of Somali descent—and secured 64 convictions. Nine billion dollars stolen since 2018. Then on January 26, 2026, Governor Tim Walz took a phone call from President Trump. By that night, Minnesota police were cooperating with federal operations for the first time.
The convictions document the scale. Feeding Our Future alone: 78 indicted, 57 convicted. Aimee Bock, the white founder, faces 30+ years. Salim Said, her Somali co-defendant convicted on 20 charges, awaits the same fate. Federal prosecutors recovered $75 million of the $250 million stolen—the rest bought mansions, Lamborghinis, and wire transfers overseas.
On January 14, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged Mohamed Abdirashid Omarxeyd with stealing $3.1 million through Guardian Home Health Services. The fraud ran from January 2020 through January 2024—billing Medicaid for personal care services never provided. Trump administration investigators keep finding cases Biden’s team missed.
President Trump and Walz spoke Monday morning, January 26. Trump posted on Truth Social: “Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.” Trump told Walz he wanted “any and all Criminals that they have in their possession.” The White House outlined what it called a “clear and simple path” including law enforcement cooperation.
The cooperation arrived within hours. Sunday night, January 25—before that phone call—anti-ICE protesters vandalized the Home2 Suites by Hilton near the University of Minnesota. Minneapolis Police, State Patrol, and Department of Natural Resources responded to property damage. Federal agents deployed tear gas without coordinating with state and local police. State and local police withdrew. Fourteen arrests.
Monday night, January 27—after the phone call—protesters targeted the SpringHill Suites in Maple Grove where Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and agents investigating fraud were staying. Maple Grove Police arrested 26 people with assistance from Minnesota State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and Hennepin Public Order Group. Thirteen charged with gross misdemeanor riot, thirteen with unlawful assembly, two with obstructing legal process.
The Department of Homeland Security posted on X: “Glad to see some state and local government cooperation. It’s a start!”
Walz spent years blocking that cooperation. Representative Kristin Robbins chairs Minnesota’s Fraud Prevention Committee. She testified before House Oversight on January 7 that 1,000 whistleblowers exposed fraud through social media. The Walz administration fired them with cause to deny unemployment benefits, blacklisted them from state agencies, and asked where their children’s bus stops were. When Keith Ellison became Attorney General in 2019, he required his express approval for all fraud investigations. None occurred.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer stated: “The man should be in cuffs.” Emmer said whistleblowers are preparing sworn affidavits documenting they warned Walz about fraud while it happened. Walz ignored them and retaliated.
Federal prosecutors estimate criminals stole $9 billion across 14 programs since Walz became governor in 2018. Fraud reports started surfacing in 2011. The Biden administration watched $692 million in cash leave Minneapolis airport—$1 million per day for two years—and did nothing. On January 5, Walz dropped his bid for a third term.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer invited Walz and Ellison to testify February 10. Thirty-four defendants still await trial. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed investigators traced $5 million to al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terror group.
One phone call produced cooperation that 1,000 whistleblowers, federal prosecutors, and $9 billion in theft couldn’t. February 10 will test whether Congress asks why state oversight required Trump’s direct intervention—or accepts that six years of systematic failure needed only presidential persuasion to fix.
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