Vice President JD Vance did not hold back during his visit to Bangor, Maine, making it clear that the Pine Tree State has serious problems with corruption and mismanagement.

Speaking to a packed crowd, Vance declared that Maine might just take the bronze medal for fraud in America, trailing only behind the liberal utopias of Minnesota and California.

He called the state’s situation heartbreaking and a prime example of what happens when government stops working for taxpayers and starts protecting fraudsters.

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Vance outlined a disturbing picture of fraud running rampant across Maine.

He referenced illegal aliens scamming welfare programs, dead people collecting government assistance, and luxury car drivers living off taxpayer-funded benefits.

“It is unbelievable how much you have been fleeced by your own government over the past 15, 20, 30 years. Nobody was looking at this,” Vance charged, lighting up the crowd with a speech that blended outrage with grit.

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The vice president praised former Governor Paul LePage for being one of the few leaders who actually fought to clean up the mess.

“He was the biggest advocate for your tax dollars and the biggest threat to fraudsters that ever existed in the state of Maine,” Vance said.

He blamed current Democrat Governor Janet Mills and President Joe Biden for undoing LePage’s reforms and allowing fraud to flourish once again.

“When you ask yourself why Maine went from a state that did not have a serious fraud problem to one of the worst in the union, the answer is simple: Janet Mills and Joe Biden,” Vance said.

He added that one has already been booted from high office while the other is “on her way out the door.”

The crowd responded with cheers at that line, showing exactly where Maine voters stand on the matter.

Vance praised LePage’s earlier efforts to double the number of fraud investigations and to put personal photos on EBT cards so that welfare benefits went to real people, not scammers or dead identities.

These reforms, he said, were critical steps that “cracked down on international fraud rings taking advantage of this great state.”

But when Democrats took over again, those policies were rolled back, and corruption began seeping back into Maine’s welfare system.

The vice president’s remarks drew sharp attention to one particularly egregious case involving Rakiya Mohamed, an illegal immigrant who claimed to provide translation services for Medicaid.

Instead, prosecutors found she pocketed over $15 million during a five-year scam.

“It turns out that Rakiya Mohamed was not a particularly upstanding citizen,” Vance said.

“She was providing zero services and collecting millions of dollars that belonged to the people of Maine.”

He reminded the audience that this level of fraud does not happen by accident but because government looks the other way.

Vance also connected these scams to the Biden administration’s border failures.

He said that illegal immigration and weak enforcement policies contribute directly to the explosion of fraud in welfare programs.

He blasted Governor Mills for blocking local police cooperation with federal authorities, saying she refuses to let them help remove criminal illegal aliens.

For Vance, that decision shows exactly where the priorities of Maine’s Democrat leadership lie, and it is not with the working taxpayers who fund these programs.

The Trump administration, Vance said, is serious about rooting out fraud and putting criminals behind bars.

“For once, you’ve got an administration in Washington that is fighting for you,” he told the crowd, drawing applause.

He promised that the federal government will continue pursuing schemes that rob hardworking Americans, whether in Maine or any other state bleeding money to fraud and deceit.

The vice president dismissed the idea that fraud is a victimless crime.

He reminded the crowd that stolen tax dollars mean fewer resources for legitimate needs like schools, roads, and small businesses struggling to get back on their feet.

“Fraud is exactly what happens when you’ve got a government that is not fighting for the American people,” he said.

“It is fighting for fraudsters and illegal aliens, and it has to stop.”

Vance emphasized that this battle should not be about red states or blue states but about accountability.

He urged state officials to work with federal investigators and encouraged citizens to bring forward evidence when they see wrongdoing.

He cited journalist Nick Shirley’s work exposing fraud in Minnesota as a model for what can happen when ordinary people refuse to stay silent.

As he wrapped up his remarks, Vance made it clear that the fight against corruption will not end with rhetoric.

It is a real, ongoing battle for the integrity of America’s institutions.

The crowd seemed energized by his message, hopeful that tougher leadership will bring the accountability that has been missing for far too long.

Maine, as Vance put it, might hold the bronze medal for fraud today, but under renewed conservative leadership, that dishonest podium finish could soon become part of history.

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