First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. This development comes as Minnesota grapples with an extensive fraud problem that has, until this point, largely been prosecuted under Thompson.
For years, Thompson has been at the center of unraveling widespread fraud that has been perpetrated in Minnesota. The longtime federal prosecutor first became a well-known name as the lead prosecutor of the infamous Feeding Our Future scheme that saw fraudsters take federal funds that were supposed to provide meals to hungry children.
To date, more than 75 people have been charged or indicted in connection to the Feeding Our Future scheme. More than 55 individuals have been convicted or pleaded guilty.
Thompson’s work on the Feeding Our Future case led him and his fellow prosecutors to uncover vast webs of fraud that permeated state-run, Medicaid-funded programs. Those programs, administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), have since been labeled “high-risk” due to their vulnerability to fraud.
One of those programs, Housing Stabilization Services (HSS), was designed to help vulnerable people find and keep housing. The cost of the program ballooned from roughly $20 million in 2021 to over $100 million in 2024. Earlier this year, DHS decided to shut down the HSS program because it had been pillaged by fraudsters.
In addition to prosecuting the Feeding Our Future cases, Thompson has led the charge in prosecuting fraud in the state-run, Medicaid-funded programs. Between these cases and the Feeding Our Future cases, an overwhelming majority of those charged in Minnesota’s ongoing fraud saga are from the Somali community.
Just last month, Thompson shocked Minnesota and the nation when he announced that fraud in these program could top $9 billion since 2018.
That figure was seen as a devastating body blow to Gov. Tim Walz who has been widely criticized for the fraud that has occurred. After weeks of scathing national media coverage of the fraud in Minnesota, Walz announced he was abandoning his bid for a third term.
Thompson’s stunning Tuesday departure from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was not the only resignation from the office. Multiple other high-ranking federal prosecutors from within the organization have resigned as well, The New York Times reported.
Alpha News contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office to inquire about Thompson’s resignation. However, an auto-reply message said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is currently without a PIO. While this box is monitored, responses may be delayed.”
The New York Times said that Thompson and other prosecutors left the office over the Department of Justice’s reported push to investigate Renee Nicole Good’s wife and its alleged reluctance to investigate the ICE agent who shot and killed Good in Minneapolis.
However, sources familiar with the situation told Alpha News the federal government does plan to investigate the ICE agent.
This is a developing story.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
