Four more defendants pleaded guilty last week in federal court for their roles in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme.
In September of 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota indicted dozens of individuals after federal child nutrition programs, which were administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, were defrauded of roughly $250 million. A nonprofit called Feeding Our Future was allegedly at the center of the fraud. The scandal, which occurred during Gov. Tim Walz’s tenure, has received significant news coverage in Minnesota.
Last week’s guilty pleas included Abduljabar Hussein, 44, who is married to Mekfira Hussein. She also participated in the scheme and pleaded guilty last month.
Mekfira Hussein enrolled her nonprofit Shamsia Hopes in the federal child nutrition programs under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.
Her husband, Abduljabar, used a company called Oromia Feeds to act as a food vendor for sites run by Shamsia Hopes.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Husseins submitted fraudulent claims, including inflated meal counts and false attendance records, seeking reimbursement from the government for far more meals and food than they actually prepared.
They paid kickbacks to Feeding Our Future employees in exchange for Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship of their participation in the child nutrition programs.
The couple obtained up to $8.8 million in child nutrition program funds and used some of that money for personal expenses, including $173,438 that was used to pay off their mortgage, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Additionally, Zamzam Jama, 50, and Mustafa Jama, 48, of Rochester, and Asha Jama, 42, of Lakeville, each pleaded guilty to laundering fraudulent proceeds that were paid by Feeding Our Future through the federal child nutrition programs to Brava Restaurant, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Zamzam Jama spent program funds on a home in Rosemount and to purchase a 2021 Toyota RAV4 vehicle. Mustafa Jama used program funds to buy homes in Columbus, Ohio, and Lakeville, as well as Mediterranean coastal property in Alanya, Turkey. Asha Jama spent program funds on a home in Lakeville and another in Rochester.
In separate proceedings in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy Brasel, Abduljabar Hussein pleaded guilty on Feb. 5, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Zamzam Jama pleaded guilty on Feb. 5, 2025, to one count of money laundering; Mustafa Jama pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2025, to one count of money laundering; and Asha Jama pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, 2025, to one count of money laundering. Sentencing hearings for all four defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
Also last week, defendant Sharon Ross was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for her role in the scheme. Judge Brasel commented that Ross “used a position of trust in the community” for her own “flagrant personal gain,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Of the 70 defendants charged, 34 have now pleaded guilty and five were found guilty at trial. Opening arguments will begin Monday in Aimee Bock’s trial. She is the former CEO of Feeding Our Future and the alleged ringleader of the scheme.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
