Three Feeding Our Future defendants receive 155 months for fake meal claims
Three men from Minnesota-Abdihakim Ali ahmed, abdullahi Ghedi, and Salah Donyale (also known as Omar-Hashim)-were sentenced to a total of 155 months in prison for their roles in a large-scale fraud scheme involving false meal claims under the $250 million Feeding Our Future program. The scheme involved generating fabricated meal counts to unlawfully receive funds, with the defendants falsely claiming to serve thousands of children daily at various sites. Ahmed received 54 months, Ghedi 65 months, and Omar-Hashim 36 months, all having pleaded guilty. Prosecutors highlighted that the scheme caused over $7 million in losses per defendant, exploiting a program intended to aid children. The broader investigation has charged about 80 individuals, predominantly of Somali descent, in connection with the case. U.S. officials emphasized their commitment to accountability and safeguarding the integrity of public funds meant for vulnerable children.
Three men in Minnesota were sentenced this week to a combined 155 months in prison for submitting false meal claims in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, joining nearly two dozen others already sentenced for their roles in the sprawling fraud.
U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, 40, of Apple Valley, to 54 months in prison on wire fraud and money laundering charges. Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi, 35, of Minneapolis, received 65 months for wire fraud and money laundering. Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, 43, of Minneapolis, who also used the name Salah Donyale, was sentenced to 36 months for wire fraud.
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Ahmed and Ghedi were sentenced Wednesday, and Omar-Hashim was sentenced Thursday. All three pleaded guilty.
“These sentences represent my office’s commitment to restoring the integrity of publicly funded programs,” U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said. “The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable those who steal funds meant for vulnerable children and seek accountability for American taxpayers.”
The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud highlighted the sentences on Friday, saying the case exploited a program intended to feed thousands of children in Minnesota.
The Justice Department said the defendants helped generate “outlandish and impossible meal counts” at Safari Restaurant and associated sites.
“The numbers defied reality and exposed a scheme built on wanton greed,” FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson said. “They stole millions from programs meant to feed children in need, and now they are being held to answer for it.”
Ahmed registered ASA Limited in September 2020 and applied to operate a purported meal site at Gurey Deli in a St. Paul strip mall under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship. Ahmed, Ghedi, and their co-conspirators falsely claimed to be serving 2,000 to 3,000 children each day, according to court documents.
From September 2020 to September 2021, the site falsely claimed more than 1.6 million meals. Prosecutors said Ahmed and his co-conspirators caused a $7.3 million loss, while Ghedi and his co-conspirators caused a $7.2 million loss.
Omar-Hashim’s Olive Management site in St. Cloud falsely claimed to serve 3,000 children a day and received about $7.49 million in reimbursements. A roster listed 2,040 purported participants, but only about 20 names matched children in the St. Cloud school district.
Federal prosecutors have charged about 80 people in the broader case, the vast majority of whom are of Somali descent. Ahmed, Ghedi, and Omar-Hashim were the 24th, 25th, and 26th defendants sentenced.
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