YouTuber Nick Shirley returns to Minneapolis day care after viral fraud video
Nick Shirley appears outside Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - YouTuber Nick Shirley returned Tuesday to one of the day care centers he profiled in a now viral video that accused the centers of millions of dollars in fraud.
Shirley back in Minneapolis
What we know:
Shirley returned to the Quality Learning Center on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on Tuesday afternoon as FOX 9 cameras were at the center.
The center, which was mocked for having signage that misspelled learning as "Learing," appeared to have worked to fix its sign since the video was posted.
Shirley was accompanied by the investigator featured in his YouTube video who had pulled records on the funding for the day care centers. Shirley, wearing a misspelled Quality Learning Center sweatshirt, appeared to be working on a new video.
While FOX 9 cameras were at the day care, we saw children and staff inside the building.
DHS investigating widespread fraud at MN daycares
The Department of Homeland Security says it is sending its investigators on "door-to-door" visits to "suspected fraud sites" in Minnesota as part of a crackdown effort. FOX 9's Mary McGuire has the story.
Local perspective:
The appearance by Shirley comes a day after state officials cast doubt on his claims.
Speaking with media members on Monday, Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said that all of the day cares featured in Shirley's video had been the subject of unannounced visits in the past six months. Brown said there were children present during those visits and while the day care centers have been subject to past investigations, the state had found no evidence of fraud.
Brown also questioned when Shirley had visited the centers, wondering if the visits had come outside of normal business hours or on the weekend. As best as FOX 9 can tell, Shirley likely shot the video on or around Wednesday, Dec. 17, as he attended a Minnesota House fraud prevention hearing on that date.
RELATED: Federal prosecutors: Minnesota fraud crisis could top $9B
Minnesota under a microscope
Big picture view:
At the same time, Minnesota is facing increasing scrutiny over fraud. Over the weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel announced he was intensifying the agency's investigation into fraud in Minnesota. Monday, Sec. Kristi Noem announced the Department of Homeland Security was doing "door-to-door" visits at "suspected fraud sites."
All this comes days after Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said fraud against 14 vulnerable Medicaid programs in Minnesota could total as high as $9 billion or more. Thompson said the fraud that has been uncovered in the massive Feeding Our Future investigation appears to be just the tip of the iceberg.
"What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It’s a staggering, industrial-scale fraud," said Thompson.
It's worth noting that state officials have rejected Thompson's suggestion, saying there isn't evidence that the fraud is as rampant as Thompson has suggested.