What to know about Nick Shirley, the YouTuber alleging daycare fraud in Minnesota
toggle caption Adam Gray/Getty Images
The Trump administration is freezing child care funding to the state of Minnesota in response to a viral video that purports to expose extensive fraud by federally funded daycare centers.
Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old self-described "independent YouTube journalist," posted the 42-minute video on X and YouTube the day after Christmas.
In it, he and an older man — identified only as "David" — visit various seemingly-empty daycare centers, bombarding Somali employees with questions and accusing them of not providing services to any children despite receiving public funds. The pair claim to have exposed over $110,000 in fraud.
Sponsor Message
Allegations of social services fraud in Minnesota have been the subject of federal investigations and mainstream media coverage for years.
In one high-profile example, more than 90 individuals have been charged since 2022 in the ongoing case of a Minnesota nonprofit that prosecutors say misappropriated some $250 million in federal COVID-19 rel
Continue Reading on NPR
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.