Minnesota's Fraud Crisis: The Numbers Don't Lie

Minnesotans trust their government to spend taxpayer money responsibly. That trust has been shattered. Over the past several years, Minnesota has been at the center of some of the largest fraud schemes in American history. and the state's chief legal officer has been asleep at the wheel.

The Pattern Is Clear

Feeding Our Future wasn't an isolated incident. It was the most visible symptom of a systemic problem: Minnesota's state government has become a target-rich environment for fraud, and the Attorney General's office hasn't made fraud enforcement a priority.

Healthcare fraud. Childcare subsidy fraud. Public assistance fraud. The schemes share common features. they exploit government programs designed to help vulnerable Minnesotans, they involve networks of bad actors who understand the gaps in oversight, and they persist because enforcement is reactive rather than proactive.

Federal prosecutors have stepped in repeatedly to do the job that the state AG should be doing. That's an indictment of the office itself.

Why a Military Prosecutor?

In the Air Force JAG Corps, I learned a fundamental lesson: you don't wait for crime to come to you. You build systems to detect it, investigate it, and prosecute it. Military justice is proactive, disciplined, and relentless. That's what Minnesota needs in its AG's office.

The current approach is broken. The AG files high-profile lawsuits against national corporations and the federal government. cases that generate headlines but take years to resolve. Meanwhile, the fraud happening inside Minnesota's own government programs goes underenforced.

I'm not saying those corporate cases are wrong. Some are legitimate. But they shouldn't be the priority when billions are being stolen from Minnesota taxpayers through fraud schemes that the AG's office could actually prevent and prosecute.

My Fraud Enforcement Plan

Create a Dedicated Fraud Enforcement Division. Not a task force that meets quarterly. A permanent division with dedicated prosecutors, investigators, and data analysts whose sole job is to find fraud, build cases, and put people in prison. Funded properly, staffed with experienced prosecutors, and empowered to act without political interference.

Partner with County Attorneys. Under Minnesota law, the AG can work alongside county attorneys or take over cases where local resources are insufficient. I'll aggressively use this authority. not as a power grab, but as a force multiplier. Rural counties don't have the resources to investigate complex fraud. The AG's office should fill that gap.

Proactive Detection. Use data analytics to identify fraud patterns in state spending before they become billion-dollar scandals. The technology exists. The will to use it hasn't.

Transparent Reporting. Publish quarterly fraud enforcement reports so Minnesotans can see exactly how many cases are being investigated, prosecuted, and resolved. Accountability starts with transparency.

This Isn't Partisan

Fraud doesn't have a party affiliation. Democratic and Republican administrations have both failed to prevent it. The solution isn't more partisanship. it's a prosecutor who treats fraud as what it is: a crime against the people of Minnesota.

That's what I'll do. No politics. Just prosecution.

— Dave Madgett