Latest news with #FederalChildNutritionProgram
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Feeding Our Future: Woman charged after trying to fly to Dubai
The Brief A woman is facing criminal charges tied to the Feeding Our Future scandal after authorities say she was caught trying to leave the country. Hibo Daar is accused of fraudulently claiming to serve thousands of meals out of Northside Wellness and being reimbursed by the federal government. She is the 71st person to be charged in the scheme after she booked a flight the same day news broke of an FBI raid on another Feeding Our Future site. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Federal agents say a woman suspected of playing a role in the Feeding Our Future scheme was arrested at the airport when she tried to board a flight to Dubai, after fraudulently claiming to serve thousands of meals to children during the pandemic. Big picture view A criminal complaint states Hibo Daar ran Northside Wellness as a meal site during the COVID-19 pandemic and fraudulently invoiced the government for meals that weren't served. Some of the invoices were from Alif Halal, which was run by one of the people who pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to Feeding Our Future in 2024. READ MORE: Feeding our Future fraud: 10 more charged Investigators also connected Northside Wellness to Premium Fresh, an organization that past testimony revealed was used to substantiate fraudulent reimbursement claims for Feeding Our Future, the complaint states. An October 20, 2021, email from Daar to Aimee Bock, who is seen by prosecutors as the ringleader of the scheme, included invoices from Premium Fresh and Alif Halal. READ MORE: Feeding Our Future trial: Aimee Bock admits fraud, just not by her The complaint also cites records showing that Northside Wellness received about $1,780,000 in reimbursements for meals supposedly served to children while only spending about $2,000 on food. Subpoena and arrest When federal agents tried to serve Northside Wellness a grand jury subpoena for documents in April 2025, her attorney did accept the records subpoena, but "neither accepted nor declined" the invitation to speak with investigators, according to the complaint. Law enforcement then served a search warrant on New Vision Foundation in connection to the Feeding Our Future scheme on May 22, 2025. The raid, and its affiliation with Feeding Our Future, was reported by local media. That same day, Daar booked a flight to Dubai and was set to depart MSP on May 25, 2025, and return on June 2. Investigators say people fleeing the country often book return flights to hide the fact that they do not intend to return to the United States. Daar was arrested at the airport. The backstory Prosecutors said Bock was the ringleader in the massive fraud scheme that bilked $250 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the scheme, Feeding Our Future enlisted food vendors and restaurants which claimed to serve thousands of meals to children during the pandemic. But, authorities say those vendors either lied or inflated the number of meals they served and pocketed the excess funds. Since the fraud was exposed in 2023, 70 people have been charged in the case. Thirty-seven defendants have pleaded guilty. Five were convicted at trial last year and and now Bock and Said have been convicted. READ MORE: Feeding Our Future verdict: Aimee Bock and Salim Said found guilty The other side At trial, both Bock and Said denied any wrongdoing in the fraud case. In court, Bock argued she was lied to by vendors. Prosecutors also presented witnesses who were named on the nonprofit's board – but said they weren't aware they were board members until they were contacted by journalists or authorities. Bock claimed she had communicated with the members but admitted no formal meetings were held. Said claimed he did indeed serve the meals he reported, claiming "it got so busy we had to have officers working, off-duty officers, every day, seven days a week." However, in video shown at the trial, the FBI set up cameras around the restaurant. The video showed some meals being picked up during that time but nowhere near the 4,000 to 6,000 meals per day the restaurant claimed to serve. The Source This story used information from a criminal complaint and past FOX 9 reporting.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Feeding our Future: Former deli owner guilty plea is 45th conviction in $250 million fraud
The Brief Abdihakim Ali Ahmed has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the $250 million COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud scheme. Through the Gurley Deli in Maplewood, court documents say Ahmed fraudulently claimed to be serving 2,000 to 3,000 children a day as part of an "after-school program" totaling 1.6 million meals from September 2020-2021. Documents say that Ahmed and co-conspirators charged a total of $7.3 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program claims through Feeding our Future. (FOX 9) - The former owner of Gurley Deli in Maplewood has pleaded guilty to his role in claiming to be feeding children, while stealing COVID-19 pandemic-era funds as part of the larger Feeding our Future fraud. What we know Abdihakim Ali Ahmed has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the $250 million COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition programs. According to court documents, under the sponsorship of Feeding our Future, Ahmed, 40, of Minneapolis, claimed to be operating a food nutrition site out of his deli located in a strip mall, from September 2020 through January 2022. Documents say that Ahmed registered ASA Limited LLC with the Minnesota Secretary of State, and submitted his application with Aimee Bock, Feeding Our Future's executive director. Within three weeks of creating the ASA Limited site, "Ahmed and his co-conspirators falsely claimed to be serving meals to 2,000 or 3,000 children each day, seven days a week," documents say. From September 2020-2021, Ahmed claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals at the location. Last week, a jury found Aimee Bock guilty on all seven counts she faced, including charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and federal programs bribery. Salim Said, the owner of another fraudulent meal site, was found guilty on all 21 counts he faced, including counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, along with four additional counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Following the plea, Ahmed is the 45th conviction tied to the scheme that ultimately stole $250 million from funding claims. How it worked Prosecutors say that Ahmed submitted multiple fake attendance rosters that included both names and ages of attendees of an "after-school" program that was hosted at the location. When examining the documents, investigators later determined that the lists of names and ages were on spreadsheets that contained "a formula that inserted a random number between seven and 17 in the age column for each 'child' on the list," according to court documents. Dig deeper According to court documents, rather than using the funding on meals for children, Ahmed kept "hundreds of thousands of dollars to himself," including transferring fraud proceeds to a shell company, and purchasing the former location of Kelly's 19th Hole — a bar and restaurant in Brooklyn Park. He also bought a 2022 Mini Cooper. As part of the scheme, Ahmed was found to have also paid more than $49,000 in bribes and kickbacks to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee, in exchange for sponsoring and facilitating participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program, charges said. In total, documents say that Ahmed and co-conspirators charged a total of $7.3 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program claims through Feeding our Future. What they're saying "I am proud of the unrelenting efforts of our prosecution team to hold the defendants — who engaged in a massive pay-to-play fraud scheme that exploited Minnesota and the Federal Child Nutrition Program — accountable," said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said in a statement. The Source Press release from the United States Attorney's Office District of Minnesota.
CBS News
24-03-2025
- CBS News
Another person pleads guilty in Feeding Our Future fraud
Days after the conviction of the ringleader of the largest pandemic fraud case in the country, another person involved in the scheme has admitted to his role. Forty-year-old Abdihakim Ali Ahmed pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. Ahmed is the 45th person convicted in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal, the office said. Ahmed, like many of those convicted in the case, fraudulently claimed to be running a child nutrition site, prosecutors said. He claimed to be feeding thousands of children a day at a site in St. Paul, taking federal COVID-19 relief funds to do so. According to prosecutors, Ahmed and others spent those funds — about $7.3 million in total — to buy a car and property, as well as paying kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee. Ahmed's sentencing has not yet been scheduled. He was set to go to trial next month before entering his plea. On Wednesday, Aimee Bock was found guilty on multiple criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Bock, the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, was found in court to have orchestrated the defrauding of the Federal Child Nutrition Program out of a quarter of a billion dollars. Salim Said, a co-defendant in Bock's trial, was also convicted on multiple counts. Dozens of people were charged in connection with the scheme. Note: The video above originally aired March 19, 2025.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
A Minnesota nonprofit leader has been convicted in a $250M pandemic fraud scheme: What to know
The leader of a Minnesota nonprofit was convicted Wednesday for her role in a scheme that stole $250 million from a pandemic relief program meant to feed children. Aimee Bock, founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, was one of 70 people charged in the case, which federal prosecutors say is one of the nation's largest pandemic-related frauds, USA TODAY reported. Bock's co-defendant, Salim Ahmed Said, owner of the now-defunct Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, was also convicted following the joint six-week trial. Lisa Kirkpatrick, who is Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, said in a news release that Bock and Said "falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds." "That money did not go to feed kids," Kirkpatrick said. "Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles. (Wednesday's) verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated.' Here's more about the case, the jury's verdict and what comes next. At trial, prosecutors explained that Feeding Our Future employees recruited people to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites across Minnesota that "fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Bock and Said created and submitted fraudulent meal counts with fake attendance rosters with names and ages of children who supposedly received meals at the sites each day. Feeding Our Future submitted those documents to the Minnesota Department of Education, then disbursed the fraudulently obtained federal funds to their co-conspirators. In total, Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, which the defendants used to pay for luxury vehicles, real estate and international travel. Bock was convicted of four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Said was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, eight counts of bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and five counts of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Bock and Said to be held without bail ahead of their sentencing, though no date was immediately set, The Associated Press reported. The scheme relied on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides meals to children in need. The program, which expanded during the pandemic, let for-profit restaurants run federally funded food distribution sites as long as a nonprofit organization sponsored them, USA TODAY reported. Minneapolis FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. said: "Stealing from the federal government is stealing from the American people – plain and simple. The egregious fraud uncovered in the Feeding our Future case represents the blatant betrayal of public trust." IRS Special Agent in Charge Ramsey Covington, of the Chicago Field Office, said: "This verdict is the product of dedicated investigators and prosecutors to bring accountability to those who brazenly stole from the American public. (The IRS) is deeply committed to working with our partner agencies to combat these types of fraud schemes and ensure our American tax dollars serve their intended purpose.' Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Denver Division, said: "The bold egregious nature in which these fraudsters victimized our children and programs intended to feed them during a worldwide pandemic illustrates their callous disregard for human decency and overall greed. This investigation is a tremendous example of how the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our FBI law enforcement partners can work side by side in an effort to bring these fraudsters to justice.' This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: What we know about the Feeding our Future Minnesota Covid fraud scheme
USA Today
20-03-2025
- USA Today
Feeding Our Future leader convicted in $250M scheme that exploited child nutrition program
Feeding Our Future leader convicted in $250M scheme that exploited child nutrition program Show Caption Hide Caption COVID fraud cases continue to grow In the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic relief arrived in the form of government programs, but some people took advantage. Fox - 13 News A jury convicted the leader of a Minnesota nonprofit organization Wednesday for her role in a $250 million pandemic fraud scheme that "exploited" a federal child nutrition program, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors have called the scheme one of the nation's largest pandemic-related frauds. Aimee Bock, founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, was one of 70 people charged in the case. The jury also convicted her co-defendant Salim Ahmed Said, who was the owner of the now-defunct Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Bock, 44, and Said, 36, were charged with multiple criminal counts including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. Said was also charged with several counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children," Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick said in a statement. "The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds. That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles." COVID fraud: Cracking down on pandemic aid fraud, DOJ claws back $1.4 billion and charges 3,500 people The scheme was tied to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides meals to children in need. The program, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed for-profit restaurants to run federally funded food distribution sites as long as a nonprofit organization sponsored them. Prosecutors said restaurant owners and others bribed Feeding Our Future employees to get the organization to sponsor sham distribution sites. The participants then spent federal funds intended for the sites on personal purchases, including luxury cars, houses, jewelry, and resort property abroad. The case drew further attention last year when five people were charged with conspiring to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000. Thirty-seven defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case while five others have been convicted, according to prosecutors. 'Massive fraud scheme' under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship Prosecutors accused Bock and Said of overseeing a "massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship." Feeding Our Future employees recruited restaurant owners and others to open food distribution sites across the state of Minnesota, according to prosecutors. "These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Bock and Said submitted false documentation to the Minnesota Department of Education, including fraudulent meal counts and fake attendance rosters. The pair then disbursed the federal funds to their co-conspirators. The pair also created dozens of shell companies to run the fake distribution sites and launder the proceeds of the scheme, according to prosecutors. "In exchange for sponsoring these sites' fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled," the U.S. Attorney's Office said, adding that employees also solicited and received bribes and kickbacks. Prosecutors said Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites, stealing $250 million. Minneapolis restaurant owner claimed millions of meals were provided Said, who owned and operated Safari Restaurant, enrolled his restaurant in the Federal Child Nutrition Program in April 2020. The restaurant was sponsored by Feeding Our Future, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that by July 2020, Said fraudulently claimed that the restaurant served meals to 5,000 children per day, seven days a week. In total, between April 2020 and November 2021, Said falsely claimed that the restaurant served over 3.9 million meals to children. "Said also claimed that Safari Restaurant provided more than 2.2 million meals to other food sites involved in Feeding Our Future's fraud scheme," prosecutors said. 'A whole-of-government challenge': More than $200 billion in COVID-19 relief may have been stolen, federal watchdog says Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY; Reuters
