https://knsiradio.com/2024/02/06/ten-additional-defendants-charged-in-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme/
(KNSI) — The U.S. Attorney’s Office says ten more defendants have been indicted in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
According to the filing, the ten are charged across two separate indictments and one criminal information filing with conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery.
Ikram Mohamed worked as a consultant for Feeding Our Future. The 41-year-old Minneapolis woman opened several food sites that were enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. She is accused of hiding her involvement in the scam by saying the feeding sites and entities were in the names of family members, including her husband, mother, and siblings. She is also accused of soliciting and receiving kickbacks from people and companies involved in the program. Mohamed registered IM Consultation LLC with the Minnesota Secretary of State “on or about March 10, 2021,” according to the filing. She is accused of using IM Consultation to receive and launder kickback payments and fraud proceeds. Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
Mohamed’s husband, 45-year-old Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, created a company called Inspiring Youth & Out Reach LLC, which he is accused of enrolling in the program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. He said the site was in Minneapolis, and between February and November 2021, the company claimed to have served more than one million meals. Based on his fraudulent claims, Inspiring Youth received more than $1.5 million in program funds. He also allegedly paid a $21,000 kickback to his wife’s consultation business. Abdisalam is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Mohamed’s sister, 27-year-old Aisha Hassan Hussein, was the principal of United Youth of Minneapolis LLC and enrolled in the program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. She said she operated two sites in Minneapolis, and from December 2020 through November 2021, Hussein and her co-conspirators allegedly claimed to have served more than 1.3 million meals to children at the United Youth sites, totaling approximately $2.2 million in fraudulent funds. Hussein also paid a $166,000 kickback to IM Consultation as part of the scheme. Hussein is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Mohamed’s mother, 57-year-old Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf, ran Active Minds Youth LLC, which was also enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. The company said it operated a food site in Minneapolis and served more than 500,000 meals. That rang up to over $1 million in funds, and she paid a kickback to her daughter’s company of over $38,000. Yusuf is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Mohamed’s brother, 29-year-old Suleman Yusuf Mohamed, owned Star Distribution LLC, which he said was a food distribution business located in Minneapolis. He said the company provided the meals to be served at the feeding site run by his family members and codefendants. Between February 2021 and April 2022, Star Distribution took in more than $10 million in funding, including $4.9 million from Feeding Our Future, $1.6 million from United Youth of Minneapolis, and $1 million from Inspiring Youth & Outreach. Court papers also say he paid over $330,000 to IM Consultation. He is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
Mohamed’s brother, 43-year-old Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, owned GAK Properties LLC and GIF Properties LLC and allegedly used those companies to receive and launder the proceeds from their scheme. Mohamed also submitted fraudulent meal counts and claims for his family’s companies. From March of 2021 until July of 2022, prosecutors say he fraudulently took in and laundered more than $1.1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. He is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
Others charged in the scam include Sahra Sharif Osman, who prosecutors say was the principal of Youth International Club LLC in Hopkins and Edina and operated the two program sites overseen by Feeding Our Future. The 41-year-old from Savage said the 700,000 meals were served out of community rooms in townhouse complexes between March and November 2021. The filing says Osman took in over $1.4 million in funds and paid a $7,500 kickback to IM Consultation. Osman is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 45-year-old Said Ereg owned and operated Evergreen Grocery and Deli, a for-profit grocery and deli in south Minneapolis. His wife, 34-year-old Najmo Ahmed, worked for Evergreen and was enrolled in the program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. From April 2020 to April 2021, the two are accused of claiming to have served over 1.4 million meals to children and received more than $4.2 million in payments. Ereg and Ahmed transferred most of the money to fund their own lifestyles, including making purchases from Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Canada Goose. Ereg and Ahmed also transferred more than $2.5 million to foreign accounts controlled by foreign companies. As part of the scheme, Ereg and Ahmed paid more than $100,000 in kickbacks to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee. Ereg and Ahmed are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The other defendant charged by criminal information is 53-year-old Hoda Ali Abdi, the owner of Alif Halal LLC, a grocery store in Burnsville. The store was enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and someone in court papers identified as Sponsor A. The court says Abdi fraudulently claimed to have provided approximately $3 million worth of food for children through other co-conspirator’s sites. Abdi also falsely claimed to have served more than 242,000 meals to children at her Burnsville site and received approximately $243,268 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Abdi is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
These new indictments bring the total number of defendants in the case to 70.
The Feeding Our Future fraud scheme is believed to be the biggest pandemic-era fraud scheme in history.
