The same Burnsville strip-mall space once used by a man convicted in Minnesota’s largest fraud case is now home to a taxpayer-funded adult daycare that has received more than $1 million in the last year.
The storefront at 1501 Riverwood Drive houses Nawal Restaurant, operated by Abdulkadir Awale, who pleaded guilty in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal. Awale admitted to using his restaurant to file fraudulent meal claims for children who never existed.
Immediately next door, a second business — Bashi Adult Daycare Inc. — was registered in Suite 160 under Awale’s name, state filings show.
It’s unclear whether the restaurant ever fully closed after the Feeding Our Future scandal, but DHS later revoked the adult daycare’s license in June 2023 — after the state had already paid the business nearly $100,000, according to state records.
Now, another adult daycare business with a nearly identical name — Bashi Day Care Center Inc. — is licensed at the same address, this time under a different owner, Fahmo Mohamed, according to DHS records.
The current storefront bears a sign that reads “B Daycare,” an apparent shortened version of the company’s licensed name.
As of September 2025, Bashi Day Care Center had received $1.2 million in state payments, DHS confirmed.
And despite its past connection to the Feeding Our Future fraud case, Nawal Restaurant remains open — located one door down from Bashi Day Care Center.
‘It all seemed so staged and fake’
A Burnsville property owner who spoke to Alpha News on the condition of anonymity said he grew suspicious of the adult day care after months of driving past an empty parking lot.
“I stopped in three times over about six months,” he told Alpha News. “There was just one person behind the counter. I asked about enrolling my 85-year-old mom and every time they said, ‘We’re full, we’re full.’ But there was no one there. It’s downright disturbing.”
He said even when he offered to pay privately, staff declined. “Nothing ever moved inside that place,” he added. “It all seemed so staged and fake.”
Alpha News spoke with a Minnesota businessman who operates several established adult day care facilities about how such programs typically function.
He said that while he could not comment on Bashi specifically, it would be highly unusual for a licensed provider receiving that level of state funding to appear empty or near-empty.
“Our participants are with us six to eight hours a day doing a variety of activities,” he said. “It keeps them engaged and gives caregivers a break. That’s the whole point of adult day services.”
When asked what kinds of activities typically take place inside adult day care centers, he mentioned arts and crafts, bingo, trivia, dancing, and walking around the facility.
He added that after lunch, participants sometimes get tired. “It wouldn’t be uncommon for them to be relaxing,” he said. “But if they’re sitting in a chair doing nothing for two hours straight, that’s typically not the best for the seniors.”
What Alpha News saw
Bashi Day Care Center lists robust hours of operation — 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
On its website, the center advertises benefits for participants including daily exercises, creative arts classes, bingo, music and entertainment, cooking and baking, and educational groups and discussions.
Alpha News visited the facility multiple times on weekday mornings but observed none of the activities advertised on its website.
On a Monday around 10 a.m., a reporter saw a small front room with a counter, two couches, and a table. About a dozen older East African women sat quietly with no visible activities, screens, or books. Staff told reporters there were no openings but offered to place a name on a waitlist.
Around 11:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, Alpha News again observed six to 10 older East African women sitting in chairs with a television audible in the background but no visible engagement or staff interaction.
Around 10:45 a.m. on a Friday, the doors were locked and no one appeared to be inside. A photo at the time showed the interior dark and empty, with no staff or participants visible.
Bashi’s response
Bashi Day Care Center responded to Alpha News’ inquiries through attorney Daniel L. M. Kennedy, who said the business is legitimate and operating normally, and that “Abdulkadir Awale has no connection to Bashi Day Care Center Inc.”
The attorney added: “The company is open and operating during its normal business hours. Any reports to the contrary, if they exist, are not accurate.”
The attorney also confirmed the ownership breakdown and said the company’s records were properly updated with the state.
“The owners of Bashi Day Care Center Inc., are Fahmo Mohamed (80%) and Abdirizak Samatar (20%),” the attorney stated. “The company’s secretary of state registration and license were duly updated to reflect the partial change of ownership.”
Neither Mohamed nor Samatar have been accused by authorities of any criminal wrongdoing.
Six violations
DHS records show that in June, a routine state inspection of Bashi Day Care Center resulted in a correction order with six citations, ranging from missing medical reports and incomplete care plans to outdated participant records.
Inspectors gave the center 30 to 60 days to correct the problems or face fines or conditional licensing — a deadline that would have fallen at the end of August.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed to Alpha News that Bashi Day Care Center has received at least $1.2 million in state payments since March 2024.
When asked whether the issues cited in the correction order had been resolved, DHS said the agency does not require the facility to submit proof that the violations were corrected.
“The license holder was not ordered to submit corrective action,” a DHS spokesperson said. “DHS does not require providers to submit documentation showing that administrative licensing citations were corrected in all instances.”
The department said whether documentation is required depends on the nature of the violations, adding that it may conduct follow-up site visits to verify compliance “if warranted.”
DHS confirmed that no follow-up inspection has been conducted since the June visit and that no fines or additional sanctions were issued.
The department also confirmed it was “aware” that the Burnsville address had previously been used by Bashi Adult Daycare Inc., whose license was revoked in 2023 following the disqualification of owner Abdulkadir Awale, a Feeding Our Future fraud defendant.
“While Bashi Adult Daycare Inc. and Nawal Restaurant share an address, this address is for a strip mall with several different suites,” DHS stated in an email.
DHS said it reviewed the site’s licensing history, ownership disclosures, and business filings when processing the new application for Bashi Day Care Center Inc.
“Since the time the Bashi Adult Daycare Inc. revocation order was issued, DHS has received additional tools through statutory changes that allow licensing to take action based on violations of state or federal publicly funded programs,” the spokesperson said.
“In 2023, DHS only had the authority to revoke Bashi Adult Daycare Inc.’s license through disqualification, not as a result of the Minnesota Department of Education’s program integrity actions in the Feeding Our Future case. However, DHS now has the authority to immediately suspend a license as the result of other departments’ investigations.”
When asked about reports of little to no visible activity at the site, DHS said it has not received any complaints or referrals regarding the facility but encouraged the public to report suspected fraud.
The agency said that during its June inspection, individuals were present receiving services — but did not specify how many were observed or what services were being provided. DHS said the facility’s license remains “in good standing.”
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.
