State officials and daycare manager push back on viral video fraud allegations in Minnesota

Minnesota officials and a daycare manager denied fraud allegations Monday aft a viral video questioned state-funded kid attraction centers, with some sides disputing claims that the installation was closed oregon improperly collecting payer money.

The allegations stem from a viral video posted by autarkic writer Nick Shirley showing visits to respective Minnesota daycare facilities, including Quality Learning Center successful Minneapolis, which appeared inactive during the sojourn contempt receiving authorities kid attraction assistance funds.

At a quality league Monday, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said anterior inspections of the centers did not uncover fraud and that regulators are conducting further unannounced visits to reappraisal concerns raised by the video.

"We are alert of a video that's being circulated that has gained section and nationalist attraction astir kid attraction centers successful Minnesota," Brown said. "While we person questions astir immoderate of the methods that were utilized successful the video, we bash instrumentality the concerns that the video raises astir fraud precise seriously."

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Independent writer Nick Shirley went to respective daycare to inquire astir childcare, but recovered galore facilities empty. (Fox News)

Brown said each installation mentioned successful the video has been visited astatine slightest erstwhile successful the past six months arsenic portion of the state’s licensing process, with yearly inspections conducted without beforehand announcement to measure mean operations.

She added that inspectors recovered children contiguous during those visits and that nary of the anterior reviews uncovered fraud.

"None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud," Brown said, adding that determination is presently nary intermission connected payments to the centers named successful the video.

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Brown besides acknowledged questions astir the timing of the video visits, noting that regulators are seeking clarity connected whether footage was recorded during operating hours oregon connected days erstwhile centers were scheduled to beryllium open.

Meanwhile, the manager of Quality Learning Center forcefully rejected the allegations, saying the video misrepresented the installation by filming extracurricular posted hours and falsely suggesting the concern was inactive.

Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown denied immoderate fraud took place, contempt a caller study by autarkic writer Nick Shirley. (Pool)

"There’s nary fraud going connected whatsoever," said Ibrahim Ali, the center’s manager. "Kids travel to us, clients travel to us, their parents travel to america – they’re present daily, they permission connected time, they travel connected time. There is nary fraud going connected whatsoever."

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Ali said the halfway operates Monday done Thursday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., serving chiefly after-school children, and has remained unfastened for much than 8 years without interruption.

He besides disputed claims made during the authorities briefing that the halfway had closed owed to abstraction concerns, calling that assertion false.

Quality Learning Center manager Ibrahim Ali denied immoderate fraud took place, contempt a caller study by autarkic writer Nick Shirley. (Pool)

"We haven’t closed. We’ve ne'er closed," Ali said. "There was ne'er a clip wherever kids were told to halt coming. There was ne'er a clip we told our employees to halt coming. All that is mendacious information."

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Ali said the scrutiny has been damaging to the concern and the broader Somali community, arguing that allegations were amplified without grounds and unfairly linked to ethnicity.

"Are you trying to grounds that we’re doing fraud oregon are you trying to enactment the Somali sanction and the fraud successful the aforesaid sentence?" Ali said. "That’s what truly wounded america the past mates of days."

State officials said further tract visits are underway and emphasized that immoderate credible grounds of fraud would beryllium investigated, portion Ali invited media and inspectors to instrumentality during operating hours to observe mean activity.

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The effect follows the merchandise of a 42-minute video by Shirley, posted Friday connected X and YouTube, documenting visits to respective daycare centers successful the state, including a determination connected Nicollet Avenue successful Minneapolis.

In the video, Shirley and different antheral are seen astatine what appears to beryllium a mostly inactive kid attraction facility. The gathering besides displays a misspelled motion speechmaking "Quality Learing Center," adjacent though the halfway is reportedly expected to relationship for 99 children and received astir $4 cardinal successful authorities funds.

During a Sunday quality connected Fox News’ "The Big Weekend Show," Shirley said the alleged fraud successful Minnesota was "so obvious" that a "kindergartner could fig retired that determination is fraud going on."

TIM WALZ PUSHES BACK ON MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS FOLLOWING VIRAL DAYCARE VIDEO

Tim Walz speaks onstage during 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival astatine the Austin Convention Center connected March 8, 2025, successful Austin, Texas. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)

Shirley besides suggested different journalists whitethorn beryllium reluctant to prosecute akin reporting retired of fearfulness of being labeled "Islamophobic" oregon "racist."

"Fraud is fraud, and we enactment excessively hard simply conscionable to beryllium paying taxes and enabling fraud to beryllium happening," helium said.

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The video has sparked wide backlash, drafting disapproval of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz passim the play from respective high-profile figures, including Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.