U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Andrew Luger announced on Tuesday the indictment of dozens of people related to the alleged $250 million defrauding of a federal meals program by Feeding Our Future and its numerous associates across the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.
By Tuesday night, 48 people had been charged in the massive fraud scheme that enriched the scammers instead of feeding hungry children, including one woman who was arrested while trying to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Ethiopia.
However, only a handful of those indicted have been jailed, and of the seven who were shown to be in custody as of Tuesday, only four remained in custody as of Thursday night.
Aimee Marie Bock, 41, of Apple Valley, who was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, oversaw the $240 million fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship, charges say. She appeared in court on Tuesday flanked by her lawyers after being ordered to turn herself in, but was released after pleading not guilty, according to Sahan Journal.
Mekfira Hussein was arrested Tuesday night at MSP airport after investigators discovered she had purchased a one-way ticket to Ethiopia, according to media reports. Hussein was reported as the 48th fraud participant charged and was briefly jailed. However, she was released from custody after making a court appearance on Thursday and agreeing to surrender her passport, Sahan Journal reported.
Jail records show Ayan Jama, 43, of Rochester and Khadar Adan, 59, of Lakeville were both booked into jail on Tuesday but were also released from custody on Thursday. Charges say Jama, along with five others connected to Brava Restaurant in Rochester, received $4.3 million in fraudulent funds from the federal program.
Jail records show that defendants Anab Awad, 52, of Plymouth, and Liban Alishire, 42, of Brooklyn Park were jailed on Tuesday and remained in custody as of Thursday evening. Charges say Awad claimed more than $11 million in fraudulent federal Child Nutrition Program funds, while Alishire’s business Community Enhancement Services received more than $1.6 million in fraudulent federal program funds.
Two of the seven jailed defendants had been arrested earlier this spring on passport fraud charges. Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 33, and Mohamed Jama Ismail, 49, both of Savage, were ordered to remain in custody at a Thursday hearing, Lou Raguse reported.
Sahan Journal reports that three of the 48 defendants are out of the country: Fahad Nur, 38, Minneapolis, principal of The Produce LLC; Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 39, Burnsville, an employee of Feeding Our Future; and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin, 32, Minneapolis, the owner of Bushra Wholesalers LLC.
U.S. Attorney Luger indicated that several arrests had been made Tuesday morning prior to the announcement of the indictments but it wasn’t immediately clear how many people may have been arrested and subsequently released beyond those jailed on Tuesday.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
