BCA proposes combined financial‑crimes unit with Commerce, requests forensic accountant and new missing‑person system

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told the committee the BCA has combined its financial‑crimes section with the Commerce Department's fraud bureau into a single, focused unit to investigate complex financial crimes, insurance fraud, wage theft and fraud affecting government programs.

Evans said the combined unit is already operating administratively and now needs modest budget changes to be fully effective. The administration is seeking funding for a dedicated forensic accountant, two attorneys to provide prosecution assistance (particularly for complex cases in Greater Minnesota), and other technical adjustments to fully staff the unit. Evans described the combined unit as about 43 FTEs across sworn investigators and analysts and said the reorganization is intended to increase coordination and reduce duplication.

Evans also requested a one‑time $1.5 million appropriation to build a new state missing‑person information system. He told lawmakers Minnesota currently reports roughly 8,000–9,000 missing‑person incidents a year; most are resolved, but existing processes rely on static FBI data transfers that do not support real‑time analysis. The proposed system would pass reports to the FBI while keeping a state database that can identify patterns and cross‑jurisdictional risks (for example, repeat runaway events that could indicate exploitation or trafficking).

Members asked about coordination with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and other prosecutors; Evans said collaboration is ongoing and that the new forensic and legal staff would strengthen shared investigations and support county attorneys when cases are complex. He also told the committee the unit is already taking referrals and that the administrative consolidation is under way through state administrative processes.