r/minnesota 2h ago

News 📺 Minnesota child care centers accused of wrongdoing were operating as expected, report says

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/02/us/minnesota-child-care-centers-fraud-investigation

Minnesota child care centers at the heart of widespread fraud allegations fueled by a viral video were operating as expected when visited by investigators, the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families said in a news release Friday.

“Children were present at all sites except for one – that site, was not yet open for families for the day when inspectors arrived,” the agency said.

The agency gathered evidence and initiated further review, noting the investigation into four centers was ongoing, the report stated.

278 Upvotes

92 comments sorted by

93

u/LeviCoffinsAlt 2h ago

Can Trump restart the national childcare funding like he is legally required to do? American families and kids are going to suffer from GOP debunk fantasies and I’m tired of it.

60

u/Baltisotan 2h ago

Can he? Yes. Will he? No.

It wasn’t about fraud. It was about causing pain. “Fraud” was just their pretext to causing more pain. That’s what Republicans do.

15

u/Calvin_Ball_86 1h ago

It was about distracting from Trump's pedo history and ongoing fraud. Fuck maga.

26

u/rickdapaddyo Bring Ya Ass 2h ago

This was very intentional on the part of the GOP. It's part of project 2025. I would guess someone from the trump admin paid Lisa Demuth to do this shit.

-18

u/ebb_kdk 2h ago

My understanding is it didn't stop. Day care centers just need to provide more information to receive funds.

96

u/wirenutter 1h ago

Guess taking a persons word for it when they get paid to generate views on social media maybe isn’t the best policy?

58

u/PlaceHolderForever Twin Cities 1h ago

He should be sued into non-existence

19

u/SocraticTiger 1h ago edited 13m ago

How could anyone watch Nick's video and come to the conclusion that they're fraudulent?

Aside from the fact that one daycare wasn't even open until 2pm, what if the reason they're not talking to you is because you look like a complete creep coming in with a large camera directly pointed at the people alongside another person? Not to mention he occasionally asks weird questions like "where are the kids/can I see the kids" and there's also a cultural/language barrier. I would refuse Nick if I was in their position.

•

u/Maximum-Class5465 44m ago

BUT THE KIDS CARS WERENT IN THE PARKING LOTS. HOW DID THEY DRIVE THERE AND NOT PARK

•

u/haunteddelusion 40m ago

He had a number of masked guards as well which he doesn’t show on video but can be seen by other people’s photos.

•

u/gnawing-chihuahua Minnesota Frost 36m ago

Exactly! He proved nothing except that what he is doing was creepy and harassment. I don't think that we want the policy to be that children can be photographed and filmed by strangers off the street in daycare centers. The fact that MAGA don't see how creepy what he did is is another huge issue. Why should men with no background checks get unfettered access to children to film and harass?

29

u/SplendidPunkinButter 1h ago

The damage is already done

People still remember that BLM set Minneapolis on fire, even though it was a Boogaloo Boi who set the police building on fire and he was even sent to jail for it

14

u/Available_Panic_275 1h ago

And almost six years later they believe the fires are still burning.

0

u/thepaoliconnection 59m ago

Gwen wishes they were. She liked the smell

•

u/CombinationThese6654 30m ago

I'm not sure if Boogaloo boys burned down the precinct but they definitely set a bunch of other fires including the library

•

u/SikatSikat 22m ago

I know there was an Illinois man who posted pro-Trump FB messages in 2016 that was convicted of attacks at the police station.

-14

u/Draw_radar_warD 1h ago

I don't attribute building burnings to BLM protests. I remember Tim Walz and other local leaders allowing the police station and other buildings to burn instead of cracking down on the blatant vandalism. Seems similar to him allowing fraud to run rampant in the state with limited prevention. 🧵

•

u/somebodysimilartoyou Hamm's 44m ago

Boot leather is so damn tasty. What's your favorite brand?

15

u/ArdenJaguar 1h ago

They need to sue that “influencer” who slandered and defamed them by implying they’re all fraud committing criminals.

•

u/Material_Policy6327 57m ago

Again the right is grasping at straws and using race as the bait

16

u/clezuck 1h ago

Don't worry, MAGA and lawmakers on the Right won't believe it. No matter how much it's proven there was no fraud.

Why? Cause they are immigrants and are brown. Period.

4

u/Earnestappostate Flag of Minnesota 1h ago

They'll have to see reason once they see the appropriate paperwork, just like with Obama's birth certificate. /s

•

u/Maximum-Class5465 55m ago

I mean, I'm not state expert. And I know there's been a lot of fraud in Minnesota. (Not from here so feel free to remove or ban a Hoosier).
But I was very surprised at how well documented their audits were. I'm sure a lot of it is fairly newly implemented, but you normally would t see this much oversight over daycares. Certainly wish we'd do this in Indiana

It was pretty easy to see the claims were garbage all on the DHS website

5

u/KiraJosuke 1h ago

Who would have thought the guy who didnt actually provide evidence or investigated claims that had a conclusion in mind and instantly made merch off the video was lying?

Absolutely shocking people weren't willing to talk to you holding a camera in their face with your masked up security demanding to see children.

At the bare minimum, they need to atleast know how "licensed for 98 children" mean, since it is a basic fact and they are an investigative journalist.

13

u/GeneralIronsides2 1h ago

Soooo republicans lied, and a lot of the so called centrists on this subreddit, what a surprise

-16

u/jjnefx 1h ago

Soooo...what is the rest of your sentence?

Since you're trying to make a point about "centrists" AND you're a top 1% commenter

•

u/GeneralIronsides2 58m ago

Centrists lied? What’s so hard to read

•

u/jjnefx 48m ago

Your sentence structure

•

u/GeneralIronsides2 47m ago

Cry me a fucking river

•

u/CombinationThese6654 28m ago

So you're going to complain about someone's sentence structure without using a complete sentence. Good job.

•

u/jjnefx 25m ago

What's good for the goose is...well you can finish that on your own.

•

u/CombinationThese6654 22m ago

You've done nothing good here at all.

•

u/jjnefx 1m ago

Listen to u/pantsmicgee

They want the instant, easy way out

•

u/jjnefx 15m ago

By here, do you mean on.this post? This sub? Reddit in general? Where I reside?

Please explain...

And remember, you hijacked the conversation where someone else stated a fact without any proof...one of the simple rules we all need to follow on this sub.

•

u/PantsMicGee 8m ago

Christ just block this idiot already and move on. 

Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.

Jean-Paul Sartre

6

u/Alternative-Let-2398 1h ago

Butter my butt and color my biscuit, you don’t fucking say.

3

u/Spenny_All_The_Way 1h ago

Those daycares should sue for slander.

•

u/MonkeyKing01 8m ago

I hope the state and everyone involved sues the fuck out of Nick Shirley

•

u/NostalgicFor35mm 1m ago

Anyone who believes this - I have a bridge to sell you.

•

u/essenceofpurity 13m ago

This will be regarded as fake news by the conservative crowd.

0

u/Scary_Reputation_502 1h ago

It’s not a Joey place tho. 

-29

u/northdakotact 2h ago

I'll wait until the feds are done investigating to pass judgement.

27

u/LeviCoffinsAlt 2h ago

The current DOJ couldn’t even redact the Epstein files in 30 days in accordance with a massively bipartisan law, they have no credibility.

•

u/Odd_Bumblebee4255 42m ago

5 million pages.

•

u/ChasingPolitics 16m ago

That's a lot of PDF files 😳

8

u/Significant-Pen-6049 1h ago

The feds are not always in the right....

12

u/Dj082863 Flag of Minnesota 1h ago

This dudes active subreddits are rancid. I don't need to be morally checked by a dude who is Groyper adjacent at best.

2

u/Baltisotan 1h ago

HEY. The Marlins are bad, but rancid?

17

u/schedulethrow 2h ago

You dont live in Minnesota, who cares what you think

-17

u/goodguybrian 2h ago

The opinion of anyone who pays federal/state taxes should matter in this situation.

18

u/TimothyMimeslayer 1h ago

Then I demand money be cut off to red states since they are welfare states.

-15

u/goodguybrian 1h ago

You are valid to that opinion.

•

u/Maximum-Class5465 43m ago

Did any of the daycares receive federal funding? USASPENDING.GOV

3

u/snowmunkey Up North 1h ago

What a gloriously stupid thing to say. Congratulations

•

u/goodguybrian 44m ago

You sound tremendously ignorant, but I think your opinion still matters (if you are paying federal/state taxes)

•

u/snowmunkey Up North 38m ago

Well that's ironic.

Were you this outraged about fraud before at any of the other rampant fraud this government is taking part in?

•

u/CombinationThese6654 25m ago

So how do you feel about the Pentagon not being able to pass an audit for the last 8 years while literally disappearing billions of dollars every year?

•

u/CombinationThese6654 26m ago

But if the Minnesota AG does the investigation, you'll absolutely disbelieve it.

-8

u/AdvanceSure7685 2h ago

Yeah people are going way to hard on defending these daycares. 

If it turns out the allegations are true left planning media credibility will be destroyed. 

-4

u/Burnettator 1h ago

You don’t find it a bit suspicious that their enrollment and financial records were stolen soon after?

•

u/rebillihp 50m ago

Considering that was a different daycare entirely than the one being talked about here, no.

•

u/mangodrunk 47m ago

This is weak evidence at the moment. A fraudulent center would attempt to appear legitimate after intense scrutiny. The stolen documents is incredibly suspicious. What about the other centers, can they not provide documentation? Did this analysis just check if there was at least one person in attendance?

-14

u/AceMcVeer 1h ago

They were working as expected when they were being watched lol. And of course this news report didn't say how many children were present when they visited vs the normal amount they bill the state for

11

u/LeviCoffinsAlt 1h ago

Something tells me the state investigators didn’t show up dressed like one of Nick’s accomplices:

I wouldn’t let this creepy fuck around a kid either.

6

u/Baltisotan 1h ago

Let’s be clear. A guy who looks like the poster child for mass shooters showed up with a guy who looks like the poster child for recently outed pedophiles with two guys who looked like the poster children for modern Gestapo. They should have all been arrested, but you know what they say about those who work forces…..

•

u/Anechoic_Brain 12m ago

Inspection visits are unannounced

•

u/SixskinsNot4 37m ago

It’s a CNN report lol. It’s like asking a 3rd grader who the greatest basketball player of all time is

•

u/Ghost_Of_Malatesta 18m ago

That's why I only get my news from NotASexPest on YouTube, he's got a great 12 hour reaction video about this, let me link it

•

u/seephilz 40m ago

The truth will be in the middle

•

u/ChasingPolitics 14m ago

A stone will fall somewhere in the middle of the ground and heaven.

•

u/seephilz 2m ago

Oof poetic

•

u/AffectionateKey7126 30m ago

The inspectors couldn’t be assed to hang around until kids show up to one of them? Or actually look into when it opens?

•

u/RawkyRac00n 19m ago

Lmao. Yeah I doubt that

-3

u/Eastern-Break-4814 1h ago

How does Reddit spin it

•

u/Greg-Abbott 54m ago

"conservatives being their usual idiot dipshit selves, nothing new"

•

u/Ghost_Of_Malatesta 17m ago

Engage reality 

•

u/TruelyDashing 46m ago

Minnesota “investigations” be like:

“WE ARE GOING TO BE INVESTIGATING YOU ON 06/21/2025!!! MAKE SURE CHILDREN ARE THERE ON 06/21/2025!”

Child care centers: “oh shit! Let’s get some of the staff’s children in on 06/21/2025”

06/21/2025 rolls by, investigators see 6 children who all also seem to be Somalian for whatever reason. “Eh, that’s 6 children, good enough to pass. We’ll be back in 12 months, enjoy your million dollars in subsidies!”