Largest Funder of Al-Shabaab? Investigators Point to Minnesota Taxpayers

The Ben Ferguson Podcast

iHeartPodcasts

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.9 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Election Day Promise & Conservative Push
- Starts by recalling Donald Trump’s pledge to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Mentions a conservative initiative called “Doge” that inspired investigations into state-level corruption.
Massive Fraud in Minnesota
- Accusations that Minnesota taxpayers became the largest funder of Al-Shabaab due to welfare fraud.
- Fraud allegedly concentrated in programs like Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) and autism therapy services, as well as the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
Housing Stabilization Services Program
- Launched in 2020 with an estimated cost of $2.6 million.
- Costs ballooned to $104 million by 2024.
- U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson called the program “straight up fraudulent,” citing fictitious companies and fake services.
Feeding Our Future Scandal
- Nonprofit founded in 2016 to sponsor child nutrition programs.
- Funding exploded from $3.4 million in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021.
- Fraud involved fake meal counts and fabricated invoices; money allegedly spent on luxury items and overseas real estate.
Autism Services Fraud
- Medicaid claims for autism therapy skyrocketed from $3 million in 2018 to $399 million in 2023.
- Kickbacks paid to parents to enroll children, even without diagnoses.
- Number of autism providers surged from 41 to 328, many linked to Somali community members.
Political & Media Complicity
- Claims Democratic officials ignored fraud or enabled it.
- Suggests fear of being labeled racist prevented scrutiny.
- Notes alleged ties between fraud perpetrators and politicians like Ilhan Omar and local officials.
National Security Angle
- Federal sources reportedly confirm stolen funds were sent to Somalia, benefiting Al-Shabaab.
- Frames this as a threat to U.S. security and a failure of progressive governance.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:05.7	Do you still plan to deploy the National Guard to New York City?
0:09.0	If they need it, right now, other places need it more, but if they knew, we had a very good meeting yesterday.
0:13.7	We talked about that, but if they needed, I would do it.
0:16.7	You're listening to the 47 morning update with Ben Ferguson.
0:20.6	Good Monday morning. It's the 47 morning update. It's so nice to have you with us.
0:24.8	And we've got a very big story for you that you need to share wherever you can.
0:29.9	Your tax dollars going directly to terrorist organizations in Somalia.
0:35.7	How is it happening?
0:37.1	Through fraud, waste, and abuse in our government.
0:40.8	And we have all the details for you.
0:43.7	But first, I want to tell you about an amazing opportunity right now that I'm involved in
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