Treasury Investigating Alleged Minnesota Fraud That Steered Money to Somali Terrorists

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a press conference in Aylesbury, England, on Sept. 18, 2025. Leon Neal/Pool via ReutersThe Treasury Department is investigating claims that Minnesota taxpayer funds were stolen by fraudulent nonprofits and rerouted to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia, according to Secretary Scott Bessent on Dec. 1.Bessent made the announcement on social media platform X, just days after President Donald Trump eliminated temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota. Trump, in his announcement on Nov. 21, also called Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of failing to deter such crimes in the state.