Fact Check: Did Gavin Newsom reinstate death penalty for anyone caught investigating fraud?

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Following the passing of a controversial act nicknamed the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act,’ a rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that California Governor Gavin Newsom has reinstated the death penalty for anyone caught investigating fraud. Let us analyse the origins of the claim and fact-check its authenticity.

Claim: Gavin Newsom reinstates death penalty for investigating fraud

According to the viral claim, Newsom has reinstated the death penalty for anyone caught investigating fraud in the state, following the passing of a bill referred to as the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' by the Republicans, which they allege aimed to criminalize investigative journalism.

The claim spread on various social media platforms such as X and Facebook, garnering hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing. 

Many of the comments criticized the alleged development, indicating that they believed the claim to be true, while a few others dismissed it as fake. 

Fact Check: The claim originated as satire

The claim, however, is false, as the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' does not include a death penalty for investigating fraud, but rather is aimed at boosting privacy for immigrant services providers.

A Google search for the claim found no credible reports from prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have sparked nationwide debates and controversies.

Moreover, the claim was first posted by a popular parody account called ‘The Babylon Bee,’ which describes itself in the bio as, ‘Fake news you can trust.’

The post was also accompanied by a link to an article that was written in a clickbait way for the sake of engagement.

California bill sparks debate over fraud claims

The claim appeared after Democratic Assembly Member Mia Bonta introduced AB 2624 as an extension of California’s Safe at Home program, which has operated since 1999. 

At the time of writing, the Assembly’s public safety committee was reviewing the bill.

During a committee discussion of the bill in a video posted to Carl DeMaio’s YouTube page on April 13, 2026, DeMaio questioned Bonta about the bill’s language.

He argued that the bill focused less on protection from violence and more on “threatening and intimidating people who are trying to shine a light on bad behavior.”

DeMaio also referenced Nick Shirley’s viral December 2025 video, where Shirley claimed he had found evidence of fraud at immigrant-run day cares in Minnesota.

However, fact-checkers have widely debunked the claims made in that video.