Influencer Nick Shirley uncovered California fraud with help of DOGE’s ‘Big Balls’

YouTuber Nick Shirley has linked his latest California fraud investigation to government data he says was obtained with help from Edward Coristine, the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) engineer better known online by the nickname “Big Balls.”

Coristine no longer works for DOGE but remains in government as head of engineering for the White House National Design Studio.

He appeared in a new YouTube interview with Shirley discussing alleged fraud findings and the use of federal spending data.

Coristine first entered federal work at 19 with no prior government experience and served across agencies including the Social Security Administration and the Small Business Administration.

Before joining the government, he worked at Elon Musk’s Neuralink for several months and founded a startup known for hiring black hat hackers.

In the interview, Shirley says Coristine helped him access Medicaid spending data tied to California-based businesses.

The data came from a February release by the DOGE team at the Department of Health and Human Services, which was described in an X post at the time as “the largest Medicaid dataset in department history” and promoted as a tool to “detect” large-scale fraud.

Coristine argued that wider public access to government data could help independent investigators uncover fraud.

“You are someone who actually went to the places where we were spending all this money and confronted the people and got to know the truth. I think we just have to create more opportunities for that to happen. We have to continue to open source data,” he said.

The interview highlights how online fraud investigations carried out by social media personalities are increasingly intersecting with political narratives tied to government efficiency efforts.

Shirley’s videos have previously been used in discussions around fraud and immigration enforcement during Trump’s second administration.

In a December video, Shirley claimed to uncover more than $100 million in Somali-run childcare fraud in Minnesota.

The video was shared by Vice President JD Vance and was followed by a surge in immigration enforcement activity in the state.

At least 15 businesses were searched by federal agents this week in relation to the ongoing fraud investigations in Minnesota.

In the new video, Shirley and Coristine also connect fraud concerns to immigrant communities.

“A lot of the money is being stolen and siphoned out of the country,” Coristine says without evidence. Shirley replies, “Once that money is in a suitcase to Somalia, that’s never coming back.”

They also cite examples of what they describe as government waste, including a “Sesame Street style children’s TV program in Iraq” and “tax policy consulting in Liberia,” both funded by the US Agency for International Development.

Coristine criticized federal loan oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Small Business Administration.

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An SBA spokesperson defended the agency’s record, while a 2025 Government Accountability Office report found loans were issued before full verification systems were in place.

The video also revisits disputed election fraud claims.

Shirley alleges California has large numbers of deceased people still registered to vote and receiving Social Security benefits. 

Similar claims have been echoed in Trump-aligned political circles, including by Musk, though experts say such issues typically stem from database structure rather than fraud.

Shirley has made similar claims before, including in a Feb. 16 video alleging voters aged 125 and registrations tied to a UPS store address.

He also called California “the breeding ground for voter fraud in America” in a post on X.

Researchers have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.

Those claims align with broader messaging from President Trump, who has pushed allegations of widespread voter fraud and recently signed an executive order calling for a national list of eligible voters.

Coristine also revealed details about his current work at the White House National Design Studio, saying its chief creative officer is Nate Brown, who previously worked with Ye, formerly Kanye West, on the 2021 album “Donda.”

He said one upcoming priority is promoting “freedom” and expanding “free speech to Europe,” without giving specifics.