Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the fraud uncovered thus far in Minnesota — largely linked to the Somali community — was just the tip of what appears to be a very large iceberg, and she promised many more arrests and prosecutions in the coming weeks.

In a post shared to X on Monday afternoon, Bondi praised the work done by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who shared a lengthy video exposing the depth of the fraud in the childcare and health care industries — and she said that the Justice Department had already begun investigating the fraud months earlier.

“MINNESOTA FRAUD: [Nick Shirley]’s work has helped show Americans the scale of fraud in Tim Walz’s Minnesota,” Bondi posted. “@TheJusticeDept has been investigating this for months. So far, we have charged 98 individuals – 85 of Somali descent – and more than 60 have been found guilty in court. We have more prosecutions coming … BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!”

FBI Director Kash Patel also responded to the story:

CASE UPDATE: MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME

The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 28, 2025

Shirley shared video of himself going from location to location, confronting people and, in some cases, having doors slammed in his face. At one location, which advertised itself as a “Quality Learing Center,” a white woman stood outside the building warning anyone who might be inside not to open up — and claiming that Shirley was with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet,” Shirley captioned the video post. “We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day … It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped.”

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Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown responded to the video on Monday, saying that all of the locations Shirley visited had been the subjects of random inspections within the last six months, and that children had been present when those visits were conducted.

Brown also questioned whether or not Shirley had gone to the daycare centers during normal operating hours, asking, “When were the videos taken? Were they during times that the center was scheduled to be open? Were they during the weekend?”

She also said that, in light of the video, the state planned to conduct follow-up checks.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. had “hit” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said.

“We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area… it’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”

It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted.

Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: “I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don’t want to say who it was.”

Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

On a radio show last week, Trump made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a “big facility” in Venezuela.

The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House, and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it.

Primazol, a chemical plant in Zulia state which suffered a fire on Christmas Eve, has denied online rumors that the blaze was what Trump alluded to in his comments. The company also said the fire was quickly extinguished and was under investigation. Nearby residents told Reuters they heard an explosion, saw the fire and smelled chlorine.

The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Trump’s administration has previously touted its success in taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels, and the Pentagon has posted footage of several of its strikes on social media.

The lack of response by U.S. national security agencies had raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was carried out covertly. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of U.S. officials to speak on the matter.

Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. was poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on Maduro’s government.

At the time, two U.S. officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro.

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The U.S. mission has primarily focused on military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels and has prompted intense oversight from Congress. More than 100 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers on an incident in September in which an American strike killed 11 people but left several survivors who were killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley.

Congressional Democrats have questioned whether the second strike was conducted in accordance with international law.

Trump’s administration has overseen a massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Erin Banco and Idrees Ali; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, David Gregorio and Rosalba O’Brien)