Federal agents return to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud

Teams of federal agents once again swarmed sections of Minneapolis early Tuesday morning, multiple officials confirmed to CBS News, exercising search warrants at about 20 childcare centers for suspected fraud. No one was arrested in the raids — a stark contrast from last winter's immigration crackdown during Operation Metro Surge — but the sweeping law enforcement activity did appear to signal a refocused effort on the part of federal authorities to investigate the billion-dollar COVID-era fraud schemes in Minnesota that had once drawn the Trump administration's attention and ire. "Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. Since 2021, 92 people have been charged in the schemes, with 67 convicted, including five people who pleaded guilty last month for their roles in the Feeding Our Future scandal that exploited a federal nutrition program. "I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota," U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said on March 20. Rosen declined comment on Tuesday. A CBS News Minnesota crew witnessed about a dozen agents operating at the Mini Childcare Center in South Minneapolis just after 6 a.m. local time. One agent was taking photos while another was seen walking a large portable file case inside. …