Overview
- Gov. Tim Walz on Friday unveiled a statewide fraud-prevention effort and appointed Tim O’Malley as Minnesota’s first director of program integrity with authority to operate across agencies.
- O’Malley, a former FBI agent and ex–Bureau of Criminal Apprehension head, said he will act independently to protect public funds, while the state engages WayPoint to build a uniform anti-fraud toolkit under a contract worth up to $200,000.
- Federal prosecutors say the cumulative theft across Minnesota social programs is well over $1 billion, with the Feeding Our Future case alone involving roughly $240 million to $300 million and dozens of defendants charged and many convicted.
- Recent case exhibits show luxury spending and overseas wire transfers, and the U.S. Treasury is investigating whether any diverted funds may have reached Al-Shabaab with no terrorism-financing charges announced to date.
- Republican lawmakers and congressional investigators fault Walz’s oversight, while the governor says he welcomes probes and cites new controls as federal scrutiny also extends to Medicaid programs flagged for rapid, anomalous growth.