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| T. Tim Walz |
In a shocking development that has left exactly zero people who have been paying attention to Minnesota even mildly surprised, authorities have uncovered a million-dollar food stamp fraud operation running right in Tim Walz's backyard, as if he was clueless.
The scheme, which authorities described as involving "a high degree of sophistication," apparently consisted of buying stuff at Sam's Club and Costco and then reselling it; truly the kind of criminal mastermindery that would make Ocean's Eleven look like a grocery run, and might actually eliminate Walz from suspicion for that reason.
Abdidwahid Mohamed, owner of the creatively named Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, allegedly racked up $1,141,082 in EBT payments using cards registered to other people. Investigators say they watched him make the purchases, followed him back to his store, and confirmed it all with surveillance and GPS. Many of the actual cardholders were either out of the country or insisted they never shopped at those stores. Shocking to think that such skulduggery exists in Minnesota.
"Mohamed received $1,141,082 in EBT payments," according to the complaint, which added that the plan "involved a high degree of sophistication or planning or occurred over a lengthy period of time."
Mohamed faces up to only 20 years in prison or a $100,000 fine if found guilty, penalties that in Minnesota probably come with a participation trophy and a strongly worded letter.
Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer is demanding accountability from Governor Tim Walz amid the state's broader fraud woes, including a staggering $9 billion Medicaid probe. Emmer alleges Walz is either incompetent or complicit in the theft of taxpayer funds, highlighting what critics call a thriving culture of corruption. One thing for sure, if Walz is complicit, he's certainly not the mastermind.
"Minneapolis didn't become America's fraud capital by accident," Dalia al-Aqidi (a Republican running for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District against Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar) told Fox News Digital. "It was earned. This week, it's a grocer charged with running up $1.1 million in charges on other people's EBT cards. Next week, it will be something else, but the bill always lands on the Minnesotans who actually pay taxes."
Aqidi says that families tell her "affordability" is what "keeps them up night" and the "cruel joke is that the money is here to really make a difference for people."
"It is just lining the wrong pockets and paying for luxury cars and houses on the other side of the world. The fraudsters are only half the story. The other half are the people administering these programs, from the front lines all the way up to Ilhan Omar, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Governor Tim Walz. There has been talk about ending fraud in Minnesota for years. I am going to Washington to actually do it."
Two Republican lawmakers echoed the frustration. State Sen. Mark Koran called it "yet another example of why Minnesota is target number one for fraudsters."
"The sheer volume of welfare programs, combined with the inability of state agencies to detect obvious fraud is alarming. Once again, it was a private retailer, not the state, that uncovered this fraud scheme," Koran added, referencing the suspect being initially flagged by Walmart’s Global Investigation Team.
"All individuals involved, including the people that sold their EBT cards to Abdi Mohamed, have to be fully prosecuted," Koran said. People who come here to steal from hardworking Minnesota taxpayers deserve serious consequences.
State Sen. Michael Holmstrom kept it real: "This may be the laziest one yet."
"We had this guy, Abdi Mohamed, and he named his scam company 'Minnesota Food Grocery LLC.' They aren’t even trying, because they have been conditioned to believe there are no consequences."
The bust comes as part of a larger fraud scandal centered in Minnesota's social services programs, particularly within the Somali community, and a fresh Trump administration push against food stamp abuse.
"Since its inception, SNAP has helped our most vulnerable citizens afford the essential and nutritious food they need," Rollins and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a Fox News op-ed in March. "At least, that is what the program is supposed to do.
"Over time, however, SNAP has been taken advantage of, allowing many to game the system and leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without healthy, nutrient-dense food options."
Abdidwahid Mohamed, owner of the creatively named Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, allegedly racked up $1,141,082 in EBT payments using cards registered to other people. Investigators say they watched him make the purchases, followed him back to his store, and confirmed it all with surveillance and GPS. Many of the actual cardholders were either out of the country or insisted they never shopped at those stores. Shocking to think that such skulduggery exists in Minnesota.
"Mohamed received $1,141,082 in EBT payments," according to the complaint, which added that the plan "involved a high degree of sophistication or planning or occurred over a lengthy period of time."
Mohamed faces up to only 20 years in prison or a $100,000 fine if found guilty, penalties that in Minnesota probably come with a participation trophy and a strongly worded letter.
Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer is demanding accountability from Governor Tim Walz amid the state's broader fraud woes, including a staggering $9 billion Medicaid probe. Emmer alleges Walz is either incompetent or complicit in the theft of taxpayer funds, highlighting what critics call a thriving culture of corruption. One thing for sure, if Walz is complicit, he's certainly not the mastermind.
"Minneapolis didn't become America's fraud capital by accident," Dalia al-Aqidi (a Republican running for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District against Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar) told Fox News Digital. "It was earned. This week, it's a grocer charged with running up $1.1 million in charges on other people's EBT cards. Next week, it will be something else, but the bill always lands on the Minnesotans who actually pay taxes."
Aqidi says that families tell her "affordability" is what "keeps them up night" and the "cruel joke is that the money is here to really make a difference for people."
"It is just lining the wrong pockets and paying for luxury cars and houses on the other side of the world. The fraudsters are only half the story. The other half are the people administering these programs, from the front lines all the way up to Ilhan Omar, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Governor Tim Walz. There has been talk about ending fraud in Minnesota for years. I am going to Washington to actually do it."
Two Republican lawmakers echoed the frustration. State Sen. Mark Koran called it "yet another example of why Minnesota is target number one for fraudsters."
"The sheer volume of welfare programs, combined with the inability of state agencies to detect obvious fraud is alarming. Once again, it was a private retailer, not the state, that uncovered this fraud scheme," Koran added, referencing the suspect being initially flagged by Walmart’s Global Investigation Team.
"All individuals involved, including the people that sold their EBT cards to Abdi Mohamed, have to be fully prosecuted," Koran said. People who come here to steal from hardworking Minnesota taxpayers deserve serious consequences.
State Sen. Michael Holmstrom kept it real: "This may be the laziest one yet."
"We had this guy, Abdi Mohamed, and he named his scam company 'Minnesota Food Grocery LLC.' They aren’t even trying, because they have been conditioned to believe there are no consequences."
The bust comes as part of a larger fraud scandal centered in Minnesota's social services programs, particularly within the Somali community, and a fresh Trump administration push against food stamp abuse.
"Since its inception, SNAP has helped our most vulnerable citizens afford the essential and nutritious food they need," Rollins and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a Fox News op-ed in March. "At least, that is what the program is supposed to do.
"Over time, however, SNAP has been taken advantage of, allowing many to game the system and leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without healthy, nutrient-dense food options."
In related news, Minnesota officials continue to express bewilderment that when you create a massive, poorly supervised pile of free money, people occasionally treat it like a pile of free money. Walz could not be reached for comment, as he was reportedly busy checking the state couch cushions for another $9 billion.
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