Multiple newly-indicted defendants in the Feeding Our Future scheme appear to have given money to Minnesota Democrats in recent years. Attorney General Keith Ellison, the DFL House Caucus, and State Sen. Omar Fateh were among those who appear to have received campaign contributions from the alleged fraudsters.
On Feb. 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 10 individuals for their alleged involvement in the food fraud operation. In total, 70 individuals have been indicted for the scheme that defrauded the federal government of over $250 million.
One individual, Ikram Mohamed, is at the center of the new, 10-person indictment. Charged with wire fraud, money laundering, federal programs bribery, and other crimes, Ikram Mohamed served as a consultant for Feeding Our Future. Furthermore, Ikram Mohamed set up a company that was allegedly used to fraudulently receive funds and enrich herself.
Five of the other nine individuals who were indicted are relatives of Mohamed. Their names are Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam (Mohamed’s husband), Aisha Hassain Hussein (Mohamed’s sister), Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf (Mohamed’s mother), Suleman Yusuf Mohamed (Mohamed’s brother), and Gandi Yusuf Mohamed (Mohamed’s brother).
The group of 10 defendants fraudulently claimed to be feeding hungry children with funds provided by a federal child nutrition program. One defendant, Said Ereg, claimed to have provided 1.4 million meals to students between April 2020 and April 2021. For context, Ereg would have needed to feed breakfast, lunch, and dinner to nearly 1,300 students every day for a year in order to achieve this feat. The other alleged fraudsters made similar claims.
Allegedly stealing close to $20 million, the 10 defendants are charged with wire fraud, money laundering, federal programs bribery, and a variety of other crimes.
In recent years, some of these defendants appear to have given money to Minnesota Democrats, the Center of the American Experiment first reported.
Gandi Mohamed, who allegedly received over $1.1 million in fraudulent funds, gave $2,500 to Keith Ellison’s campaign for attorney general, the Center reported. The donation occurred in 2021. Alpha News reached out to Ellison’s campaign and state office asking if the attorney general plans to return the campaign donation. Alpha News did not receive a response.
Furthermore, Gandi Mohamed also gave $500 to the Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives. This donation occurred in 2020. Once again, Alpha News reached out to the House DFL Caucus to ask if the group intends to return Mohamed’s donation. Alpha News did not receive a reply.
Gandi Mohamed consistently listed Minneapolis addresses alongside multiple campaign donations he made from 2010 to 2020. In December of 2021, Gandi Mohamed listed a Woodbury address when he donated to Keith Ellison. Gandi Mohamed began fraudulently receiving federal funds in 2021, according to the Department of Justice.
Shakur Abdisalam, another alleged fraudster, purportedly used a company to fraudulently receive over $1.5 million in federal funds. Abdisalam claimed to be serving meals between February and November of 2021. In June of 2021, an individual named Shakur Abdisalam donated $1,000 to Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh, D-Minneapolis.
Alpha News reached out to Sen. Fateh to ask if he would be returning the $1,000 contribution, or if the senator had any comment on the matter. However, Alpha News did not receive a reply.
Furthermore, Sen. Fateh received a $500 donation from an individual named Ikram Mohamed in May of 2021. The same Ikram Mohamed gave $1,000 to a Maple Grove Democrat who lost her race for the state Senate in 2022. Gandi Mohamed also gave $1,000 to the Maple Grove Democrat, the Center reported.
Alpha News has previously reported on other donations Minnesota Democrats have received from alleged fraudsters connected to Feeding Our Future.
The Feeding Our Future scheme was allegedly engineered by Aimee Bock, the founder and executive director of a nonprofit organization called Feeding Our Future.
Under the guise of feeding hungry children, Bock’s nonprofit received hundreds of millions of dollars in funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Nutrition Program via the Minnesota Department of Education. Feeding Our Future then dispersed these funds to organizations, restaurants, recruited partners, and shell companies across the state.
In turn, these organizations and partners fraudulently claimed to be feeding thousands of hungry children at “sites” across Minnesota, the DOJ alleges. False attendance records, receipts, and other documentation were fabricated by both Feeding Our Future and their partners, according to the DOJ. Feeding Our Future submitted these documents to government agencies.
Instead of feeding hungry children, the recipients used the funds to purchase residential property, international trips, luxury cars, and even property in Kenya and Turkey. Feeding Our Future received millions in bribes and kickbacks from their partner organizations, the DOJ alleges.
In total, 70 individuals, the vast majority of whom are Somali, have been charged with participating in this scheme.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
