Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced a major fraud bust in which authorities cracked down on misuse of public funds intended for autism aid in Minnesota.
Kennedy highlighted that the original cost of the Early Intervention Development Program was a mere $38.1 million in 2020, but that it had ballooned to $442 million in 2026, with much of that increase stemming from fraud.
“Today’s arrests represent the largest autism fraud bust in American history,” he said. “This was an organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care and support.”
“Investigators uncovered brazen schemes that billed taxpayers for nonexistent services, fraudulent diagnoses, and fake care while criminals enriched themselves at public expense,” he added.
Sadly, just the tip of the fraud iceberg.
I *am* (as opposed to ‘have’) autistic. as such this ‘hits home’ that there are those who would ‘ride on the backs’ of autistics to enrich themselves.
some of these fraudsters need SERIOUS JAIL TIME given that ‘ordinary schmucks with a public defender’ do multiple years for oh, say, car theft done on an impulse as opposed to organized crime syndicate ‘stealing luxury vehicles to order’.
“This was an organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care and support.”
Yes this was an organized theft… but by who? And more importantly, who enabled these thieves and why?
This is the kind of blatant corruption that happens in countries like Venezuela.
So find out, and then jail the politicians who used this program (and others) to steal from taxpayers!
Government at the highest level in Minnesota.
Tim Walz and Keith Ellison.
Who wouldn’t try to monetize THIS chart?
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a43f3acf9a61e04cdd465e7/a1ca856c-e604-4924-83c3-6bc9998f7a18/Figure+8+DDS+autism+cases.jpg?format=2500w
Sorry … there’s something seriously WRONG about this chart. Kinda makes the Thalidomide crisis seem like child’s (sorry) play.
To give credit where it’s due, Armin Rosen broke the Somali fraud story in County Highway (a damn fine actual newspaper published 6 times a year). Nick Shirley just followed in Armin’s footsteps and posted to X.
https://www.countyhighway.com/archive/volume-3/issue-3/the-shame-of-our-cities-rosen
I didn’t see a date on that article … but WOW! Comprehensive, and detailed. Why can’t ANY massive media conglomeration even TOUCH this kind of journalism? The leftist bias in the media isn’t HATED nearly enough.
Lies of OMISSION are just as deadly as LIES of commission. The major media refused to report this fraud and theft … this LOOTING of the American taxpayer … as if we “deserved this” as colonial, imperialist reparations or something.
Good thing he didn’t do this in California. Might’ve gotten himself arrested.
$400 million in fraud. And the Somalians will retire comfortably.
Another reason to feel smug and superior at being a Canadian. This sort of stuff would never happen here.
And we certainly wouldn’t be allowed to know about it, even if it did. If the right people did it. You know, the right people. The followers of Set, the For Life God.