ISTANBUL

The US Justice Department dispatched prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce investigations into alleged fraud in the state, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday.

"The Department of Justice is dispatching a team of prosecutors to Minnesota to ... put the perpetrators of this widespread fraud behind bars," Bondi told Fox News in a statement.

She said the department will deliver "severe conequences" in Minnesota and ready to deploy to any other state where "where similar fraud schemes are robbing American taxpayers."

Focus on Minnesota followed allegations of fraudulent practices at some childcare centers after an unverified video circulated on social media, initially leading to a freeze of state payments before the measure was expanded nationwide.

Minnesota officials rejected the allegations, saying facilities cited in the video had been inspected and are operating in compliance with state regulations.

The Trump administration has deployed nearly 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota in an ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration, CNN reported Tuesday.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized the move, saying federal agents were overstepping their authority.

The deployment comes as Walz, one of US President Donald Trump's biggest political critics, dropped his reelection bid.

Trump said Tuesday an investigation into an alleged fraud has also begun in the US state of California.