Minnesota Whistleblower: Smear Campaign Exposed

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Minnesota Whistleblower: Smear Campaign Exposed

One Minnesota state worker says she tried to stop fraud for years. She says the state fought her instead.

Faye Bernstein has worked at the Minnesota Department of Human Services for two decades. She says she raised alarm bells about illegal contracting practices as far back as 2019. Instead of action, she says she got punished.

She told reporters Gov. Tim Walz’s claim that he didn’t know was “absolutely false.”

Bernstein says leadership launched what she calls a “smear campaign” against her after she reported problems. She says she was called “racist” and that her job duties were stripped away. “There is just a continuous effort to stifle you, to shut you up. And it is impossible to overcome,” she said on “Saturday in America.”

Federal prosecutors estimate as much as $9 billion was stolen through a network of fake programs posing as daycares, food programs and clinics. The bulk of those charged so far are from Minnesota’s Somali community, according to reporting.

Instead of praise for exposing red flags, Bernstein says she faced “nearly unbearable retaliation,” was “trespassed from all DHS-owned or leased property” and was investigated “at a great cost to the state.”

This isn’t a petty HR spat. This looks like systemic failure. Millions — maybe billions — of taxpayer dollars vanished. Local budgets feel it. Citizens pay for it.

Audits keep turning up more problems. One small city mayor pointed to another audit that found 14 high-risk programs and suggested another billion could be at stake.

People in charge need to explain. Prosecutors need to prosecute. The whistleblower says she tried to help the system work. The system fought her.

This story is still unfolding. But one thing is clear: whistleblowers shouldn’t be punished. And when billions disappear, accountability isn’t optional.

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