Bangladesh, Oct. 2 -- Fraud in government-funded programs has become an increasingly visible problem in the United States, raising questions not only about criminal accountability but also about how public institutions are designed, monitored and administered.

Several cases reported in September 2026 illustrate the scale and variety of the problem. In Minnesota, Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit involved in child food distribution, agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle a civil lawsuit alleging false reimbursement claims for meals that were never delivered. According to the Minnesota Attorney General's office, the claims concerned programs operating between October 2020 and February 2022, and the recovered money is expected to return to...