A Minneapolis Somali-led child daycare claims its facility was burglarized early Tuesday morning and enrollment records were stolen, just as the Trump administration is ramping up scrutiny in Minnesota in the wake of massive daycare and other fraud reports.
Nokomis Daycare, located on the 4000 block of Bloomington Avenue, apparently gathered media at its facility Tuesday, while it appeared an investigator was still on site conducting interviews following the reported burglary, as depicted in a video posted on Facebook by Tusmo Times.
The video and other photos posted online showed a hole in the drywall, where the manager claimed a burglar broke through the cinder block wall to get inside the daycare. The video also showed the manager leading a Tusmo Times reporter to the outside of the building, where the break-in reportedly occurred behind the fencing of a dumpster bay. The video showed a pile of apparent cinder blocks piled up in the dumpster bay and the wall covered with a piece of plywood.
The video also clearly showed a surveillance camera right above the break-in area, as well as two cameras on the front of the building and one inside above the front door. However, no suspect images were released to the public.
Another image posted online showed a large hole in another closet area that was reportedly adjacent to the neighboring Family Dollar store, as well as a damaged door in an apparent office area.
Early media reports stated that police had determined nothing was taken in the burglary. However, the daycare called a press conference on Wednesday, during which it claimed enrollment records, employee information, financial documents, and some checks were taken. When questioned about the discrepancy, the manager said the daycare told police it would take inventory and report back later.
The daycare manager denied that the daycare was involved in “any harmful things being said,” but declined to comment on how many children were enrolled at the daycare.
News of the break-in garnered widespread disbelief and doubt from social media commentators, considering the timing.
State records show the daycare is currently licensed for a capacity of 71 children, ages infant to preschool. The state licensing website shows several past violations such as incomplete teacher qualification documentation, hazardous objects present, and incomplete staff training. But records indicate that documentation was submitted regarding corrective measures.
There has been intense scrutiny on Minnesota’s fraud issues in the last few weeks as national media has reported on the mounting fraud numbers, but attention further intensified over last weekend and into this week following a viral 40-minute video posted by independent YouTube personality Nick Shirley.
In his video, Shirley was accompanied by a man named David who was armed with pages of information about local daycares that had received millions of dollars in federal funding but often appeared to be vacant with no children around, David claimed. Shirley and David drove around and visited several of the daycares in December, when they often encountered no one at the facilities or were met with hostile staff who refused to answer basic questions or slammed doors in their faces.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly mentioned Minnesota, Somalis, and Gov. Tim Walz in connection to the state’s mounting fraud problem, which was recently estimated to reach into the billions by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson during a recent press conference on new fraud charges.
Late Tuesday, the Trump administration also announced that it was freezing federal childcare payments to Minnesota amid the massive fraud reports and following Shirley’s video.
The Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) announced that there would be tighter controls placed on payments. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill said HHS activated a “defend the spend” system for all Administration for Children and Families payments, meaning states must now submit documentation before receiving funds.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee announced on Wednesday that Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have been asked to testify Feb. 10 for a congressional hearing on Minnesota fraud. Ahead of that hearing, several Minnesota lawmakers will testify about Minnesota fraud at a Jan. 7 hearing, including Reps. Walter Hudson, Kristin Robbins, and Marion Rarick.
Robbins is running to unseat Walz as he runs for a third term as governor.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
