YouTuber Nick Shirley released a video March 16 alleging to document more than $170,000,000 in taxpayer fraud in California.
The nearly 40-minute video shows Shirley visiting what he says are daycare centers, hospices and adult daycares. He confronts individuals allegedly working at these businesses and asks them to explain where tax money is going. The video has already garnered nearly 6 million views on X as of publication. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Press Office later took aim at Shirley’s video on X. (RELATED: Jasmine Crockett Says Its ‘Alarming’ Gun-Wielding Fraudster ‘Somehow’ Made It On Her Security Team Despite Vetting)
Shirley’s video begins with him confronting alleged Somali daycare workers and demanding to see where the children are located. He claims to be a parent interested in enrolling his son, “Joey,” in a daycare. Three of the apparent daycares are not well-maintained, appear to have little to no children present or have a child claiming no adults were there at the time, according to the video.
“Whether or not it’s fraudulent, there is a lot of suspicious activity taking place,” Shirley alleges.
Shirley had previously released a video detailing alleged fraud linked to Somali daycares in Minnesota at the end of 2025. The video played a role in uncovering more alleged fraud linked to state officials. Increased federal immigration enforcement attention on Minnesota later prompted a wave of protests.
🚨 Here is the full 40 minutes of my crew and I exposing California fraud, Minnesota was big but California is even bigger… We uncovered over $170,000,000 in fraud as these fraudsters live in luxury with no consequences. Like it and share it, the fraud must STOP.
We ALL work… pic.twitter.com/7nWX9jL6NI
— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) March 17, 2026
“Minnesota was big but California is even bigger,” Shirley says in a statement accompanying his video.
In his California video, Shirley expands the scope of the alleged fraud to include hospice care, which takes up a majority of the video. He alleges that California hospices, charged with caring for the terminally ill, had seen a growth in the industry by 1,000% in Los Angeles.
Shirley visits a plaza he says is the home of 15 hospices, which he claims may belong to Russian-Armenian mafia members. Multiple offices were empty or not taking Shirley’s inquiries on how to sign up his “grandma” for hospice care, he alleges.
One alleged hospice owner tells Shirley he is harassing people and should have done more research before coming, saying, “You don’t come to buildings like this, like FBI guys, ‘we’re going to get the crooks.’”
Shirley also pointed out the nice cars of the alleged hospice workers. “It just seems like a lot of people are getting rich off the death of old people,” he said.
Shirley also visits an apparent adult daycare which he alleges received $19.8 million in taxpayer aid. Although void of guests, the building is full of tables and chairs ready to be used, according to the video. Shirley questions how the building of a company was able to appear so dilapidated with alleged access to that much taxpayer funding. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Somali Lawmaker Shares How US Pays The Price Of Somali Terror And Trafficking)
“It’s sad to think about it. Here in the United States, we are literally being defrauded by people who are taking advantage of old people, young people in daycares, disabled people with autism clinics, and no one is doing anything to stop it,” Shirley argues. “So I think it’s time we stand up to these fraudsters.”
Newsom’s Press Office went after President Donald Trump in response to Shirley’s video. “WOW. Nick Shirley finds potential FRAUD in DONALD TRUMP’s FEDERAL Medicare system! Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on new hospice licenses starting in 2021,” they wrote.
Newson signed California State Senate Bill No. 644 into law in 2021, imposing a moratorium on new hospice licenses unless an applicant pending on Jan. 1, 2022 demonstrates a need for services in the proposed location. In 2022, Acting California State Auditor Michael Tilden said his office reported that “the State’s weak controls have created the opportunity for large-scale fraud and abuse” in the hospice sector. Los Angeles County had faced a 1,500% rise in the amount of hospice agencies from 2010, according to his report.
The Daily Caller reached out to the California Departments of Social Services and Public Health for comment.