Pentagon Asked To Send Military Attorneys And Forensic Auditors To Back DOJ Fraud Probe In Minnesota

The Justice Department has requested that the Pentagon provide military attorneys and forensic auditors to assist the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, CBS News has learned. A Pentagon memo reviewed by CBS outlines a short-term volunteer detail for military lawyers to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys, with the assignment scheduled to begin in March.

What the Request Entails

The memo describes a temporary, short-term detail for military judge advocates who would be designated as special assistant U.S. attorneys in Minnesota. It does not specify a subject-matter focus or required specialties. A U.S. official confirmed the Justice Department has formally asked the Pentagon for additional attorney support, and sources say DOJ is also negotiating to bring in military forensic auditors to assist with fraud investigations and, if necessary, to testify in court.

Why Resources Are Being Sought

The surge request comes as the Justice Department expands its inquiry into alleged COVID-era welfare fraud in Minnesota. Reported defendants in the probe — including prosecutions tied to the so-called "Feeding Our Futures" program — are largely of Somali descent; the Trump administration has sometimes referred to the pattern as "Somali-fraud," a label that has drawn controversy.

Broader Federal Activity In Minneapolis

Minneapolis is also the site of what officials describe as the largest deployment of Department of Homeland Security agents in the agency’s history. DHS personnel are reportedly in the city both to assist with the fraud probe and to carry out immigration enforcement under an initiative dubbed "Operation Metro Surge." Sources say the effort has the backing of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Local Impact And Resignations

Last week, the city’s top fraud prosecutor and several other prosecutors resigned. Sources indicate their departures were partly driven by concerns that the fatal shooting of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Renee Goodby was not being investigated as a civil-rights matter, and by pressure linked to pursuing a case involving Goodby’s widow. The FBI is not currently investigating the agent who shot Goodby, and officials say prosecutors in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division were reportedly ordered not to intervene.

How DOJ Plans To Fill Gaps

Officials say Pentagon-provided attorneys and auditors would supplement DOJ plans to temporarily detail prosecutors from neighboring U.S. Attorney offices — including districts covering parts of Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota — in the coming weeks. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota recently lost roughly 10 prosecutors, some of whom handled criminal cases tied to the high-profile "Feeding Our Futures" investigation; sources tell CBS that many remaining career prosecutors have been sidelined.

Previous Domestic Uses Of Military Lawyers

Military judge advocates have been detailed to domestic non-military roles before: they have served as immigration judges and were assigned last summer to prosecute misdemeanor cases in Washington, D.C., during public-safety operations under the Trump administration. CNN also reported earlier that Pentagon officials were working to surge dozens of military lawyers to Minneapolis to support immigration enforcement.

The Pentagon referred questions to the Justice Department, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Note: This article compiles reporting from CBS News and other outlets on federal requests and deployments in Minnesota. Some details are attributed to unnamed sources and official memos reviewed by reporters.