Who is Nick Shirley? YouTuber's ‘Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal’ video sparks backlash against Tim Walz

YouTuber snick Shirley has garnered spotlight followers the give up of his YouTube picture titled “I Investigated Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal” on December 26. Shirley, who identifies himself as an independent journalist, stoked controversy after he asserted that certain daycare centers in Minnesota are receiving substantial government funding even though they are not operational.

In the video, Shirley is shown standing outside the daycare and conversing with a local resident to gather information regarding the organization's operations and functionality.

Claiming that fraud and corruption are widespread in Minnesota, he stated, “This is one of the hundreds of “daycares” receiving millions of dollars from the government, this daycare (that can’t even spell learning right) received $1,900,000 in tax exempt funding from CCAP.”

He went on to allege that this is merely one instance among the thousands of fraudulent enterprises operating in Minnesota.

Demanding accountability from public representatives and leaders, the US influencer blasted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, saying that he “knew about the fraud but never reported it.”

He arrived at the center mid-week when the Somali-operated facility was expected to be open. However, it was closed, with no evidence of the 99 registered students associated with it.

In another video, he questions a local resident who has lived in the area for the past eight years. “I haven’t seen any children. I’ve been here since 2017,” the resident replied.

“Want to become a multimillionaire without doing anything? Move to Minnesota and start a daycare!” read the caption of the post.

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A post shared by Nick Shirley (@nickshirley)

Shirley, the 23-year-old digital influencer, is primarily recognized for conducting street interviews and serving as a watchdog over governmental operations. He has frequently expressed concerns regarding excessive government expenditure and immigration matters, as reported by Reuters. He has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram and 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube.

Last year, a Reuters report described him as part of a new wave of influencers who endorsed Donald Trump during his presidential campaign. The report noted, “While Shirley started by making prank videos as a high schooler in Utah and only recently began focusing on illegal immigration, other pro-Trump influencers are more established and explicitly partisan.”

Meanwhile, politicians took to social media to criticize Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after Shirley's video went viral.

In response to allegations of Somali Medicaid fraud, Vice President JD Vance called the situation “a microcosm of the immigration fraud in our system.”

"Politicians like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich,” Vance stated on X. “But it’s a zero sum game, and they’re stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans.”

Meanwhile, Representative Mike Lawler, R-NY, insisted that Walz should be “held accountable.”

“Folks need to be arrested and prosecuted and the Governor of Minnesota needs to be held accountable. Congress should hold a hearing immediately and start getting answers,” Lawler added.

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