Nick Shirley drops $170M California childcare fraud bombshell, questions Newsom's leadership

WASHINGTON, DC: YouTuber Nick Shirley released a video claiming to expose what he described as massive childcare-related fraud in California, alleging more than $170M in public funds were improperly claimed by providers.

The video, posted on social media platform X on Monday, March 16, quickly gained traction online, with Shirley asserting that the alleged fraud involved childcare providers who collected government payments while children were not actually present at the listed locations.

Shirley said the investigation involved him and his team visiting several addresses listed in state data and confronting individuals about the enrollment numbers tied to those facilities.

Nick Shirley alleges $170M childcare fraud in California

Nick Shirley posted the footage along with a message claiming that his investigation uncovered large-scale misuse of taxpayer money tied to childcare payments.

“Here is the full 40 minutes of my crew and I exposing California fraud, Minnesota was big but California is even bigger... We uncovered over $170,000,000 in fraud as these fraudsters live in luxury with no consequences. Like it and share it, the fraud must stop,” Shirley wrote on X.

“We all work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening. These fraudsters have been able to defraud American taxpayers for years without any pushback from the public and politicians,” he further wrote. “It is time to expose it all and end America's fraud crisis.”

Shirley claimed his team cross-referenced addresses with publicly available California state childcare data before visiting locations tied to the alleged payments.

Nick Shirley confrontation during California childcare fraud investigation

One clip from the video shows Shirley confronting a woman he described as a childcare worker after questioning the number of children reportedly enrolled at the location.

During the interaction, the woman is seen shutting the door while speaking loudly and threatening to call authorities.

“You a TROUBLED MAN!! Let me call 911,” the woman says in the video.

Shirley responds in the footage by saying he is only reviewing information listed in state records. “We just want to know where the children are. It says there's 14 children enrolled here.”

The door is then seen being shut during the exchange.

Shirley’s post also criticized California leadership, claiming the alleged fraud had gone unchecked for years.

“These fraudsters have been able to defraud American taxpayers for years without any pushback,” Shirley said.

As of March 16, no official statement from California authorities confirming the $170M fraud claim had been publicly released.