The CEO of a Minneapolis autism center under state investigation amid fraud allegations leveled by a former employee has been a fixture in DFL politics for years.
Nimco Ahmed, CEO of Milestone Development Center, is a longtime Democratic activist who appeared alongside Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a viral video in which Flanagan donned a hijab, pledged support to Minnesota’s Somali community and described Ahmed as a friend of nearly 25 years.
Now another prominent Minnesota Democrat has surfaced in Ahmed’s political past: Amy Klobuchar.
Alpha News has learned that Ahmed appears to have worked on Klobuchar’s first U.S. Senate campaign in 2006 — with a profile in Mshale from that year reporting that Ahmed joined the “Klobuchar team” and listing her contact email as anuzrq@nzlxybohpune.pbz. Multiple other articles from the same outlet identify Ahmed as a staffer for Klobuchar’s 2006 campaign. Additionally, campaign finance records suggest Ahmed was paid nearly $8,000 by the Klobuchar campaign.
The connection is noteworthy as Klobuchar runs for governor in a state rocked by massive fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs — and has made cleaning it up a central part of her campaign.
Klobuchar has promised “immediate action to root out fraud,” including a “top-to-bottom audit” of state government.
Ahmed, meanwhile, runs a taxpayer-funded autism provider currently under investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) amid allegations that it is a “fraudulent” center.
Ahmed has denied any wrongdoing and accused Alpha News of bias for raising questions about the allegations. She has not been charged with a crime, and DHS has not disclosed the scope of its investigation.
The story — and Ahmed’s political connections — went viral after Alpha News published its investigation Friday.
The report centered on allegations from a former Milestone therapist who told senior reporter Liz Collin that he witnessed red flags he believes point to fraud, while also raising serious questions about staffing, treatment and documentation at the center.
Republican state Rep. Max Rymer weighed in, arguing that the repeated proximity of prominent DFL politicians to people implicated in alleged fraud points to a broader problem within the party.
“Fraud is so engrained in the Minnesota Democrat Party — a feature of their political apparatus, not a bug,” Rymer wrote on X.
Rymer pointed to what he described as a recurring pattern of “friendly photos together, financial earmarks for them, promises to protect them in closed door meetings.”
“A never-ending insult to Minnesotans,” he added.
Ahmed joins the ‘Klobuchar team’
Long before Ahmed became the CEO of an autism center under state investigation, she was making a name for herself in Minnesota politics.
And Amy Klobuchar was apparently paying attention.
A May 2006 profile of Ahmed, published as Klobuchar was making her first run for U.S. Senate, described Ahmed as an up-and-coming Somali community activist whose political involvement was growing.
According to the article, Ahmed was being courted by politicians. She had received calls from multiple campaigns, including candidates running for Minnesota governor.
But Ahmed ultimately chose Klobuchar, with the article reporting that she decided to join the “Klobuchar team.”
According to the profile, Ahmed supported Klobuchar, in part, because Klobuchar believed Somali immigrants like her “should be accommodated to achieve their American dream.”
Alpha News reached out to Klobuchar’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
