So, you know, if you want to just talk a little bit about what you're finding, what you're seeing, that'd be great.

Yep.

Sure.

So the way it's broken down, there's a couple of things here.

And one of the reasons why we've had so much success is because we view Medicaid fraud as not just a financial crime, but a public safety crime.

And the reason for that is because there are victims out there who are to be receiving the benefits that they should be receiving, right? You know, my parents are older.

I have a lot of family and friends.

How do we validate that any of this is being used as intended and properly and that it's not just funding, say, a leftist political machine?

That would seem to suggest they did something wrong.

So my duty first and foremost is to protect children.

And so when you look at, um, you know, their admission of wrongdoing, when you, when you look at the monetary amount of the settlement, what we, what has driven us through this entire process is making sure we can get the changes in place.

Uh, when you talk about the time restrictions, when you talk about children and teenagers not being able, uh, to get on the app from midnight till 6:00 AM, when you talk about how the comparison tools have been minimized, how they can't look at, um, how many likes- They receive anymore.

Parents now have the ability to turn off the algorithm.

I mean, this is unbelievably important.

And at the end of the day, you know, uh, 30 years from now, I don't wanna be, uh, the attorney general who didn't stand up and protect children with the, with this injunctive relief.

What do you aim to accomplish with this lawsuit in particular?

And so are these pledges, are they telling you that they were told that they didn't have a choice, that they would be kicked out if they didn't engage in this, or did they do it willingly?

Well, a couple of things.

I mean, the first one is I know, you know, I'm far removed from it, but I'm sure you're not.

And that is that, you know, when you're young, you know, and this isn't an excuse, but, you know, peer pressure is one of the most powerful forms of motivation in the world.

And there's a lot of peer peer pressure that was involved here.

But I want to say that, you know, as.

As a father myself, you know, it's critical for these kids to understand that what they might see on TV, if they think it's fun for a moment, if they think they're making money and they're into that, they have to understand that this is very, very real and it's very serious.

As Attorney General, would you take action in terms of against the university and say, look, it's time to shut these places down? We now have, you know, a criminal cocaine ring and a death that took place on this one campus or this one university connected environment?

Dave, how in the world doesn't that get caught before it takes the relentlessness of what you guys have done? In other words, who's the watcher of this stuff at a lower level?

Well, to begin with, I want to say that the – So when we talk about Medicaid fraud, and I always want to take a second to say this, but these are this is more than just numbers.

These are people that need the help that they're supposed to be getting.

And you these individuals that are scamming them that aren't providing the services.

I mean, these are our grandparents and our parents.

And these are people who, you know, like.

deserve to get that help and they need that help and so that's one of the reasons why this is so frustrating and i always want to throw that reminder out there that this is this is more than just a financial crime in my opinion it is a public safety issue and that's the way that my office views this along with the federal government now what i will say is this so there's a lot to unpack from what you said um starting this conversation but the first part of this is The amount of fraud has increased drastically year after year, in particular starting around COVID.

and ask what government? The federal government or state?

Dave, how in the world doesn't that get caught before it takes the relentlessness of what you guys have done? In other words, who's the watcher of this stuff at a lower level?

Well, to begin with, I want to say that the so when we talk about Medicaid fraud, and I always want to take a second to say this, but these are this is more than just numbers.

These are people that need the help that they're supposed to be getting.

And you these individuals that are scamming them that aren't providing the services.

I mean, these are our grandparents and our parents.

And these are people who, you know, like.

deserve to get that help and they need that help.

and ask what government? The federal government or state?

Why then step in in this one case and say we're going to move forward on this, payment on this, that this is okay?

So by way of background, to begin with, we didn't step in on anything.

And so to to start with the attorney general.

So, again, my role is to enforce the law, whether I like the law or I don't like the law.

And at no point did we ever, you know, authorize this work to be done or anything of that nature.

I put out a memo.

explaining the situation.

How's that going?

Why then step in in this one case and say we're going to move forward on this, payment on this, that this is okay?

So by way of background, to begin with, we didn't step in on anything.

And so to to start with the attorney general.

So, again, my role is to enforce the law.

It's whether I like the law or I don't like the law.

And at no point did we ever, you know, authorize this work to be done or anything of that nature.

I put out a memo.

How's that going?

[laughs]

...

I had next to no discipline, and, uh, because of that, when I turned eighteen, I joined the Navy to go find discipline.

I was enlisted.

I came back from the military, and then, um, I needed to work, and so I started working at UPS.

Um, I ended up staying at UPS for eight years, and so I worked at UPS all through undergrad, and then I worked at UPS during the day while I went to law school at night.

And while I was at UPS, I worked with some of the absolute hardest-working humans you could ever imagine.

Attorney General Sunday, what do you t- say when you're talking to employers specifically about the importance of second chances, particularly across the broad spectrum of returning citizens?

[laughs]

...

I had next to no discipline and, uh, because of that, when I turned 18, I joined the Navy to go find discipline.

I was enlisted.

I came back from the military, and then, um, I needed to work, and so I started working at UPS.

Um, I ended up staying at UPS for eight years, and so I worked at UPS all through undergrad, and then I worked at UPS during the day while I went to law school at night.

And while I was at UPS, I worked with some of the absolute hardest-working humans you could ever imagine, and a lot of these individuals, uh, men and women, started out a little rough in life.

Attorney General Sunday, what do you t- say when you're talking to employers specifically about the importance of second chances, particularly across the broad spectrum of returning citizens?