MINNEAPOLIS — The infamous Somali immigrant-run “Quality Learing Center” in Minneapolis was abandoned on Wednesday — a day after the FBI raided the daycare and about 20 other local operations as part of an investigation into allegations of massive social services fraud in Minnesota.
The business’s misspelled sign has been removed, and replaced with a sign warning visitors that security cameras are in use.
The building itself — which was painted a spearmint-like color when The Post was there in December — has been repainted a more neutral slate-blue hue, and a pair of “no trespassing” signs were newly hung on either side of the entrance.
Several striped hula hoops were spotted tossed in a dumpster on the property, and an abandoned stroller was found in the parking lot.
A security guard working across the street said he’s never once seen kids step foot inside the center, which closed in January according to state records.
“It’s been deserted for three years from what I found out from management. It’s interesting,” he told The Post.
“I wasn’t even sure what was there.”
Attention was first brought to the center following a video by YouTuber Nick Shirley last December, where it appeared the facility wasn’t in use even then.
At the time, a resident who lived nearby said they’d “never” seen kids in there until The Post showed up, when the center was suddenly mysteriously a beehive of activity.
Here’s the latest on the Minnesota fraud scheme:
- DOJ surging prosecutors to Minnesota to bring fraudsters to justice – Bondi vows ‘severe consequences’ for those convicted
- Somali ambassador to UN is linked to shady health care company in Medicaid fraud scandal: HHS official
- Tim Walz abruptly drops out of Minnesota governor’s race in wake of billion-dollar fraud scandal
- Somali fraudsters got luxury digs, beachside resort, rented Rolls Royce and Lamborghini with stolen funds
“That parking lot is empty all the time, and I was under the impression that place is permanently closed,” they said.
Peering through the glass of the center’s door revealed no signs of life, only a dirty white tile floor and boxes haphazardly stacked in a hallway and at what appears to be a reception desk.
On Tuesday, the FBI raided the “Quality Learing Center” and more than 20 other businesses as part of an investigation into fraud that the Trump administration says could be as high as $19 billion in Minnesota alone.
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Since September, the Justice Department has indicted seven alleged fraudsters who allegedly recruited members of the Somali community to enroll children in fake autism services, raking in $14 million.
At least 65 people have been charged criminally with the separate Feeding Our Future scam, which allegedly ripped off taxpayers to the tune of $250 million. Many have pleaded guilty in the sprawling case which the DOJ began prosecuting during the Biden administration.
