#297 Nick Shirley - Inside California’s $222 Billion Medi-Cal Crisis

In this gripping episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, host Shawn Ryan sits down with 23-year-old investigative journalist Nick Shirley, whose fearless exposés have uncovered massive fraud across the United States. Shirley dives deep into California’s $222 billion Medi-Cal crisis, revealing how the state’s Medicaid program has ballooned from $108 billion in 2022 to a proposed $222 billion in 2026, despite a stagnant population. He details how fraudsters—linked to Armenian and Russian mafias—exploit the system by enrolling deceased or unaware individuals into hospice care using stolen Medicare numbers, often operating out of storefronts in Van Nuys with as many as 89 fake hospices in a single building. Shirley also exposes rampant voter fraud in California, where no ID is required and even dogs have been registered to vote. He recounts death threats, including a chilling phone call to his mother from the Russian mafia, and shares how his work has prompted a new federal fraud task force. Beyond fraud, he reveals the rise of a 'homeless industrial complex' where NGOs profit from unaccounted billions, buying luxury properties while homeless people live in tents. Despite backlash from a vocal minority, Shirley reports overwhelming public support, especially in California, where people see through the corruption. The episode closes with Shirley recounting his surreal 72-hour whirlwind of meeting Elon Musk, the Vice President, and being featured in a cabinet meeting—all while continuing to expose systemic failures across America.