Five more defendants have pleaded guilty in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme tied to the COVID-era Feeding Our Future child nutrition program in Minneapolis.
That brings the total number of convictions in the case to 63, the largest in a single fraud investigation by the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney's Office in recent memory, the Department of Justice said in a news release.
Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, Aisha Hassan Hussein, Sahra Sharif Osman, Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, and Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf all pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud. Mohamed's husband, sister, and mother were among the defendants, according to the indictment.
"I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota," said Daniel Rosen, U.S. attorney for Minnesota, in the release.
Prosecutors said the group falsely claimed to operate meal distribution sites in Minneapolis and its suburbs, reporting they served thousands of meals a day to children during the pandemic.
Instead, authorities said, they submitted false meal counts, invoices, and rosters to obtain federal reimbursement funding, much of which was diverted for personal use.
The scheme involved shell companies and a sham food vendor, Star Distribution, used to funnel money and disguise kickbacks, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said the defendants were responsible for about $14.6 million in fraudulent claims tied to the Federal Child Nutrition Program.
Court filings showed the defendants played different roles in the scheme, with some operating meal sites that claimed to serve hundreds of thousands of meals and others helping process payments and launder proceeds.
Each pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though actual sentences will be determined by a judge under federal sentencing guidelines.
Plea agreements showed estimated guidelines vary by defendant, from roughly 15 to 27 months for some participants; significantly longer terms are possible for organizers.
As part of their respective plea deals, each defendant agreed to pay substantial restitution, with amounts ranging from roughly $257,000 to more than $1.3 million.
Two other defendants in the group, Suleman Yusuf Mohamed and Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, remain scheduled for further pretrial proceedings.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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