$90M Minnesota childcare & Medicaid fraud | The Center Square Daily

Federal prosecutors say a massive Medicaid and childcare fraud scheme in Minnesota stole more than $90 million from taxpayers, marking what officials describe as the largest autism fraud case ever charged by the Department of Justice. Investigators allege defendants billed for services never provided, paid kickbacks to parents, and used taxpayer-funded programs to finance luxury purchases including cars, jewelry, and real estate. Meanwhile, the United States Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back refrigerant regulations in a move the Trump administration says could lower grocery costs, protect jobs, and reduce compliance burdens for supermarkets and small businesses. Critics argue the rollback weakens climate protections and could create long-term economic and environmental consequences after companies already invested heavily to comply with earlier federal standards. Also in today’s episode: • DOJ deploys additional prosecutors to pursue healthcare fraud investigations in Minnesota and California • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warns healthcare fraud threatens Medicaid and Medicare stability • Grocery industry leaders back EPA deregulation efforts tied to refrigerant standards • Illinois lawmakers consider handgun sales restrictions tied to illegal conversion devices • Texas nursing officials suspend license tied to Camp Mystic flood tragedy investigation • Pennsylvania residents push back against farmland being converted into AI data center projects • Wisconsin election transparency battle grows over access to voter roll data For more taxpayer-focused reporting on government accountability, public policy, healthcare fraud, and national politics, visit The Center Square and subscribe for daily updates. Illinois: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_0420a047-8714-4616-a271-ee890fa6ae89.html Texas: https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_3d63f2f7-f2e8-4ad5-bd85-d856bfc9dbb0.html Pennsylvania: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_26c459cc-7a20-4846-8dcd-251ed0f294f0.html Wisconsin: http://thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_9ea19de8-f401-43a6-a411-f8a3dbd5701a.html ____________ 👉 Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com 📩 Sign up for the newsletter for daily updates 00:00 Intro 00:34 Childcare & Medicaid Fraud 03:37 California Capitol Annex 11:36 America's Talking