Congressman Stauber Asks Treasury for Answers on Safeguards Following Reports of Minnesota Tax Dollars Sent to Somalia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Andrea Gacki requesting more information on how the federal government monitors large amounts of cash being transported internationally. This letter comes on the heels of reports that fraudsters in Minnesota were able to able to send large amounts of taxpayer money from Minnesota through Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) to Somalia, where some the cash ultimately ended up in the hands of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

Current law requires individuals carrying more than $10,000 in U.S. currency out of the country to file FinCEN Form 105, Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments (CMIR). However, recent reports raise questions about whether existing oversight and coordination between federal agencies is sufficient to identify potential abuse.

Rep. Stauber penned the following questions to Secretary Bessent and FinCEN Director Gacki: 

1. What process does FinCEN use to confirm the accuracy and completeness of CMIR filings submitted at airports and other ports of entry?
2. Does FinCEN share CMIR data with other federal agencies – such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health and Human Service Office of Inspector General, or state Medicaid fraud control units – to assist with identifying potential fraud involving federal benefit programs?
3. What tools are used to observe patterns of unusually large amounts of cash being transported out of the country or frequent currency exports that could indicate fraud or abuse of federal assistance programs?
4. Are there significant differences in the levels of declared currency exports across U.S. airports, and if so, what factors might explain elevated levels of outbound cash as specific locations such as MSP?
5. How does FinCEN coordinate with federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice, Customs and Border Patrol, and other federal law enforcement entities, to investigate suspicious activity identified through CMIR filings?
6.  From an enforcement and investigative perspective, would a temporary pause or restriction on international remittance transfers, including those involving individuals under investigation for fraud or abuse of federal benefit programs, be an effective tool in exposing potential fraud, or could such a policy negatively impact ongoing investigations or intelligence gathering efforts? 

In this letter, Rep. Stauber concludes, “Strong oversight of large international cash transfers is essential to protecting taxpayer dollars and preventing fraud in federally funded programs. Greater transparency in how this data is monitored and shared among federal agencies will help Congress determine whether additional safeguards or legislative action are needed.”

Read the full letter HERE. 

This is not the first action Congressman Stauber has taken to prevent fraudsters from sending American taxpayer money overseas. Last month, the Congressman joined Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach in introducing the Preventing the Repatriation of American Benefits Act to restrict the amount of money noncitizens receiving federal benefits can send abroad, ensuring money meant for American assistance stays at home.

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