{"id":7478,"date":"2026-04-30T03:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=7478"},"modified":"2026-04-30T03:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:12:23","slug":"influencer-nick-shirley-uncovered-california-fraud-with-help-of-doge-teenager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=7478","title":{"rendered":"Influencer Nick Shirley uncovered California fraud with help of DOGE teenager"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>YouTuber Nick Shirley has linked his latest California fraud investigation to government data he says was obtained with help from Edward Coristine, the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) engineer better known online by the nickname \u201cBig Balls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coristine no longer works for DOGE but remains in government as head of engineering for the White House National Design Studio.<\/p>\n<p>He appeared in a new YouTube interview with Shirley discussing alleged fraud findings and the use of federal spending data.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>During a March 2026 cabinet meeting, Trump\u00a0hailed Shirley\u00a0as a \u201cnice young man.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Coristine first entered federal work at 19 with no prior government experience and served across agencies including the Social Security Administration and the Small Business Administration.<\/p>\n<p>Before joining the government, he worked at Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink for several months and founded a startup known for hiring black hat hackers.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In the interview, Shirley says Coristine helped him access Medicaid spending data tied to California-based businesses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Cali - Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe title=\"The Big Balls Interview: Fighting Fraud, Waste and Abuse | National Debt Crisis\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xu58z9SADFs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Coristine first acquired the nickname during a math class in his junior year at Rye Country Day School. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images The Hill &amp; Valley Forum<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The data came from a February release by the DOGE team at the Department of Health and Human Services, which was described in an X post at the time as \u201cthe largest Medicaid dataset in department history\u201d and promoted as a tool to \u201cdetect\u201d large-scale fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Coristine argued that wider public access to government data could help independent investigators uncover fraud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are someone who actually went to the places where we were spending all this money and confronted the people and got to know the truth. I think we just have to create more opportunities for that to happen. We have to continue to open source data,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The interview highlights how online fraud investigations carried out by social media personalities are increasingly intersecting with political narratives tied to government efficiency efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Shirley\u2019s videos have previously been used in discussions around fraud and immigration enforcement during Trump\u2019s second administration.<\/p>\n<p>In a December video, Shirley claimed to uncover more than $100 million in Somali-run childcare fraud in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>The video was shared by Vice President JD Vance and was followed by a surge in immigration enforcement activity in the state.<\/p>\n<p>At least 15 businesses were searched by federal agents this week in relation to the ongoing fraud investigations in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>In the new video, Shirley and Coristine also connect fraud concerns to immigrant communities.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Coristine was one of the earliest hires for the DOGE initiative, which was created to reduce federal spending and \u201cshrink\u201d the government.\u00a0 <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Nick Shirley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>In early 2026, Musk awarded Shirley\u00a0$100,000\u00a0for his reporting on alleged welfare fraud, which Musk cited as a model for \u201cincentivized citizen journalism\u201d. <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Nick Shirley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the money is being stolen and siphoned out of the country,\u201d Coristine says without evidence. Shirley replies, \u201cOnce that money is in a suitcase to Somalia, that\u2019s never coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They also cite examples of what they describe as government waste, including a \u201cSesame Street style children\u2019s TV program in Iraq\u201d and \u201ctax policy consulting in Liberia,\u201d both funded by the US Agency for International Development.<\/p>\n<p>Coristine criticized federal loan oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Small Business Administration.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn<br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X<br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong>Opinion <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: Sign up here!<br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: Download here!<br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: Sign up here!<br \/><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: Sign up here!<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>An SBA spokesperson defended the agency\u2019s record, while a 2025 Government Accountability Office report found loans were issued before full verification systems were in place.<\/p>\n<p>The video also revisits disputed election fraud claims.<\/p>\n<p>Shirley alleges California has large numbers of deceased people still registered to vote and receiving Social Security benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Similar claims have been echoed in Trump-aligned political circles, including by Musk, though experts say such issues typically stem from database structure rather than fraud.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>His wife, Melania Trump, is only the second foreign-born First Lady in US history. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Musk taught himself how to code at the age of 9 or 10. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Shirley has made similar claims before, including in a Feb. 16 video alleging voters aged 125 and registrations tied to a UPS store address.<\/p>\n<p>He also called California \u201cthe breeding ground for voter fraud in America\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Those claims align with broader messaging from President Trump, who has pushed allegations of widespread voter fraud and recently signed an executive order calling for a national list of eligible voters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>He is considered the wealthiest president in US history. <span class=\"credit\">EPA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Coristine also revealed details about his current work at the White House National Design Studio, saying its chief creative officer is Nate Brown, who previously worked with Ye, formerly Kanye West, on the 2021 album \u201cDonda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said one upcoming priority is promoting \u201cfreedom\u201d and expanding \u201cfree speech to Europe,\u201d without giving specifics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; 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