Vice President JD Vance vowed Thursday that the Trump administration will aggressively pursue fraudsters accused of stealing taxpayer money through government welfare programs.
Vance’s warning came shortly after the Justice Department charged 15 people in Minnesota in connection with fraud schemes allegedly involving roughly $90 million in Medicaid and social-service funds.
“Our message is simple: if you were committing fraud, our task force will find you. We’ll come after you, and we will not rest until justice is served,” Vance said in a video message.
“Don’t defraud the American taxpayer. Don’t get rich by trying to steal from them, or we are going to come after you until justice is served. That’s our promise, and we’re going to stick to it.”
The Vice President, who is leading the administration’s anti-fraud task force, said the newly announced prosecutions include two of the largest Medicaid fraud cases in Minnesota history and what officials described as the largest autism-services fraud case ever charged by the federal government.
“With this action, we’re bringing justice to some of America’s most vulnerable citizens and justice to the American taxpayer,” Vance said.
The Minnesota fraud scandals have drawn national attention in recent months after independent journalist Nick Shirley confronted organizations receiving taxpayer funds and questioned their operations on camera.
Republicans have also intensified scrutiny of Medicaid spending after The Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak published a series examining Ohio’s home healthcare system.
According to the reporting, Ohio spent roughly $1 billion on home healthcare services in 2024, including reimbursements for activities such as “homemaking” and household chores performed by relatives.
The investigation found that seven buildings in Columbus allegedly housed 288 home healthcare businesses that billed taxpayers more than $250 million combined.
Vance has repeatedly warned states that failure to combat fraud could jeopardize future Medicaid funding.
The Vice President highlighted one especially disturbing case announced Thursday involving a defendant accused of billing Medicaid for around-the-clock care for a disabled man who was later found dead after allegedly receiving no actual services.
“To get rich off taxpayers, even at the cost of others’ lives, just as that fraudster had for many months before. This kind of behavior is sickening,” Vance said.
The latest prosecutions come as Minnesota continues grappling with the fallout from the massive Feeding Our Future scandal.
Aimee Bock, founder of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, was sentenced Thursday to nearly 42 years in prison in connection with a $250 million fraud scheme involving meals supposedly served to children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal prosecutors have described that case as one of the largest pandemic-fraud schemes in U.S. history.
Watch the clip below:
Today, the task force and the DOJ announced a massive take down of two of the largest Medicaid fraud cases in Minnesota state history, as well as the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the federal government. Our message is simple: if you’re committing fraud, we will… pic.twitter.com/MNfkLlOY0R
— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 22, 2026
