Joe Thompson, a leading federal attorney who exposed alleged massive government fraud in Minnesota, resigned from the U.S. attorney's office, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Thompson confirmed his departure in an email obtained by the paper: "It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office." The Star Tribune reported that Thompson did not give a reason for his resignation or say where he is headed.
MPR News reported that Thompson resigned alongside other experienced attorneys at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office.
Thompson was appointed acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota by President Donald Trump in May and served about six months before Daniel Rosen took office as U.S. attorney in October, the Star Tribune reported.
While Thompson handled several major cases, including federal charges against Vance Boelter in an alleged attack on state lawmakers, he drew prominence from pursuing fraud cases and warning that Minnesota had become ground zero for systemic abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.
The resignation came amid heightened political and legal scrutiny over what prosecutors have described as "industrial-scale" fraud schemes involving state-run, federally financed programs.
Thompson last month said that "half or more" of roughly $18 billion in federal funds supporting 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen — a stunning allegation that, if true, would rank as one of the most significant public corruption and fraud failures in modern state history.
"What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes," Thompson said. "It's staggering, industrial-scale fraud."
Investigators said the schemes go beyond typical overbilling cases, alleging that some entities were created to provide zero services while submitting claims to Medicaid — then spending money on international travel, luxury vehicles, and lavish lifestyles.
Thompson warned the fallout puts legitimate services at risk for vulnerable Americans, including adults leaving addiction treatment and children with autism seeking therapy.
The sprawling investigations trace back to the Feeding Our Future case — described by prosecutors as the nation's largest COVID-19-related fraud scam — in which defendants allegedly exploited a state-administered, federally funded child nutrition program.
It was reported 57 defendants have been convicted in that case and that newer probes into autism services and housing program fraud grew out of those earlier discoveries.
Thompson has publicly said Minnesota is "far and away the leader in fraud," the Star Tribune noted — a claim Democrat Gov. Tim Walz has contested, even as his administration paused payments in certain high-risk Medicaid programs and initiated additional oversight steps.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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