Controversial ex-baseball star doorsteps Ohio daycare center in bid to expose yet another fraud scandal
Former MLB pitcher John Rocker controversially confronted staff during a tour of daycare centers amid spiraling claims of fraud in Ohio.
'What we saw was jaw-dropping,' the 51-year-old said after he claimed to have 'documented tons of Somali-owned daycares collecting money from the government.'
Social services programs in Minnesota are under investigation with federal prosecutors claiming there has been 'staggering industrial-scale fraud' worth millions of dollars.
The scandal - which has seen Somali immigrants put under the spotlight - has now spread to Ohio.
Republican governor Mike DeWine recently called out those fueling speculation of suspicious practices in Ohio, which also has a notable Somali population.
But that has not stopped former baseball star Rocker from launching his own investigation alongside the founder and editor-in-chief of The Ohio Press Network, Jack Windsor.
Ex-MLB pitcher John Rocker controversially confronted staff at daycare centers in Ohio
Rocker played for Atlanta, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Texas in his Major League Baseball career
Earlier this month, Rocker - who played for Atlanta, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Texas during his MLB career - posted a series of videos on social media showing him and Windsor attempting to quiz workers across Columbus.
'We visited Maandeeq Child Care Learning Center, a publicly funded child care facility in Columbus, Ohio,' Rocker wrote alongside one clip.
'It is a small store front in a strip mall and there were no kids in sight. All we found was an angry woman who was not willing to take questions.'
In the video, Rocker is seen approaching the front door before claiming he is 'getting screamed at in some kind of Swahili.'
He then shouts through the door: 'My wife dropped my son off in this location - I need to come pick him up for a doctor's appointment.'
In another photo, Rocker is pictured holding a baby doll called 'LeBron.' Windsor, meanwhile, is later seen confronting a woman in the car park.
'Maybe you can provide insight or information,' he asks her, before she replies: 'That's not your job. We have a license, go online and ask (for) our license.'
The woman then accuses Rocker and Windsor of 'harassment,' claiming: 'They're harassing only the African people.'
But Windsor insists he is simply 'investigating the use of public funds,' claiming: 'I'm a citizen of Ohio, I'm a tax payer and I'm actually here as an investigative reporter simply to ask you if you receive government funding, if you've been visited and what you're impression is of the allegations.'
Rocker also posted an advert for 'Ask-A-Muslim.com,' suggesting it was evidence of 'one of the deeper issues of today.
'My wife dropped my son off in this location - I need to come pick him up,' Rocker shouted through the door of one center
He was joined by reporter Jack Windsor, who was seen confronting a woman in Columbus
'Aside from the fraud, these people want to convert us all to Islam. This is a sign plastered outside of one of the money laundering daycares,' he wrote.
In another clip, Rocker and Windsor claim to visit the address 'for the entity that would audit tons of Somali daycares in Columbus and Minneapolis.'
The building appears to be abandoned, with doors reportedly locked and even 'welded' shut.
After attempting to gain entry, the former baseball star abandons the mission. 'That's all the effort I'm making before I get something f***ing blown off,' he says.
Rocker received backlash from some social media users but he hit back at his critics with a foul-mouthed message.
'Dear liberals that are calling me and journalists a “pervert” for investigating fraud at Somali-Owned Daycares: THERE ARE NO F***ING KIDS AT THE DAYCARES,' he wrote.
'9 HOURS DRIVING DAYCARE TO DAYCARE, NOT ONE F***ING CHILD. THAT IS THE POINT.
