Hennepin County Halts $2 Million Business Aid Program After 200 Fraud-Flagged Applications
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Hennepin County Halts $2 Million Business Aid Program After 200 Fraud-Flagged Applications
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Summary
Hennepin County stopped processing a business relief program after officials flagged more than 200 of roughly 300 applications for potential fraud, distributing only about $500,000 to 82 applicants.
The $2 million fund was created for businesses hit by Operation Metro Surge, a Minnesota immigration enforcement push launched in December 2025, but county officials said many applications used false information, AI-generated text and even listed businesses that did not exist.
Commissioner Jeff Lunde said the county saw "declining results" as reviews continued and concluded the applications were overwhelmingly fraudulent, prompting the shutdown.
The closure adds to broader scrutiny of fraud in Minnesota aid programs, where Gov. Tim Walz has said it is his responsibility to fix abuses while rejecting efforts to blame the state's Somali community as a whole.