Nick Shirley’s associate David files formal criminal complaint against Tim Walz

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A viral investigative video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, alongside a local investigator known as David, has thrust Minnesota’s childcare assistance programs into intense national scrutiny.

The 42-minute video alleges widespread fraud involving facilities that appear inactive while continuing to receive state and taxpayer funds.

In the wake of the video’s release, Shirley’s associate David claimed to have filed a formal criminal complaint against Democratic Gov Tim Walz.

David’s criminal complaint against Tim Walz

During their recent visit to a daycare center in Minneapolis, whose signage misspelled the name as “Learing”, David played a central role in bringing the controversy to public attention. He had spent years observing that no children were present at such sites.

Dressed in a sweatshirt that read “1-800 FRAUD,” David told reporters that he had taken formal action beyond just filming a video with Shirley. “I filed a formal criminal complaint against Tim Walz for violating Minnesota Statute 3.971, Subdivision 9,” he said.

David said the complaint was filed three to four weeks ago and noted that law enforcement was already looking into the matter.

He also made a pointed remark at Walz, "So there's an investigation ongoing, and I think Tim's going to have a bad day, and he deserves it, because he allowed this fraud." 

He framed the issue around demographic voting patterns, asserting that Walz was reluctant to act "Because he wanted the voting block that the Somalis represent, because they all vote in a block and it’s 100,000, 150,000, who knows how many." 

David further warned about the situation, saying, "But it’s so bad now that when we go to a facility, they’re already screaming, Nick Shirley, Nick Shirley, Nick Shirley."

Nick Shirley and David's follow-up visit to daycare center

Shirley returned to the daycare center with David on Tuesday, December 30, following pushback from the center’s manager, who claimed that Shirley’s original video misrepresented the business.

In a post shared on X, He and David were pictured outside the facility during their visit, wearing matching sweatshirts. Shirley captioned the post, "WE OUT HERE LEARIN AND STOPPING FRAUD."

Both men’s sweatshirts also displayed “Quality ‘Learing’ Center,” echoing the misspelled signage at the Minneapolis site at the center of the fraud allegations.

State officials and the daycare manager denied the allegations of fraud, disputing claims that the facility was closed or improperly receiving taxpayer funds.

Shirley’s video drew widespread attention online, with figures such as Rep. Mike Lawler, Donald Trump Jr, and Elon Musk praising his reporting, while Walz pushed back against it.

Walz faced mounting criticism as the scandal reportedly involved at least $1 billion in alleged social services fraud, much of it linked to Minneapolis’ Somali community.