Trump presents $10,000 check to Nick Shirley, the YouTuber behind Minnesota day care fraud furor

President Trump handed Nick Shirley, the conservative YouTuber behind viral fraud videos filmed in Minnesota, a $10,000 check from the Oval Office as the White House launched a program that pays people who report suspected government fraud.

Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced the $25 million Whistleblower Incentive Program, known as WHIP. Anyone can submit a tip at Fraud.gov, and the Justice Department will lead the program. Tipsters whose reports help lead to a fraud conviction could receive up to $30,000, the White House said.

Mr. Trump said he thinks the incentive will "keep a lot of people honest."

Shirley's 42-minute video, posted in December 2025, alleged that nearly a dozen Minnesota day care centers were receiving public money without providing any service. State officials and Homeland Security agents visited some of the centers in the days after it spread online.

A CBS News review of state records at the time found that all but two of the centers had active licenses and that regulators had visited the active ones in the previous six months. It found dozens of citations for safety and other violations but no recorded evidence of fraud, as of Dec. 30, 2025.

One center in the video, Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, closed in January, according to state records. The center received $1.9 million from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program in fiscal year 2025, the state said.

A woman who appeared in one of Shirley's videos has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.