New Plan Aims To Tackle Fraud In State Programs

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- The 250 million dollar Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, as well as other fraud allegations across state government programs, led to Monday's announcement of the Roadmap to Program Integrity and Fraud Prevention plan.

Get our free mobile app

Director Tim O’Malley, appointed in December by Governor Tim Walz, says that since at least the 70s, every administration and legislative body was notified of weaknesses to the program's integrity.

“Repeatedly, plans were put in place but not executed effectively. Criminals have exploited those longstanding vulnerabilities to defraud our state, erode public trust, and impede the delivery of essential services.”

O’Malley says the causes are multifaceted, require multiple reforms, and the Roadmap will provide a workable improvement plan. One of the pillars includes leadership, accountability, and culture.

“We need to hold accountable commissioners, midlevel, supervisors, and frontline workers.”

But, he says, many state workers have been doing hard work over the past six months to a year.

“There’s really a lot of good ideas out there. And the catch is going to be to prioritize those, provide the resources to make it happen, and have that follow through.”

O’Malley says the technology will take a while, but we can make these changes now and hold people accountable.

Both the executive and legislative branches are considering related budgets and policies in the 2026 Legislative session.