Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have charged another 10 people in connection with an alleged $250 million scheme to defraud government child nutrition programs.
Last fall, the U.S. Attorney's office charged 50 people allegedly tied to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future with using phony documents and shell companies to steal funds meant for children in need. So far six people have pleaded guilty.
The charges are spread across multiple indictments and criminal information documents, and include charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery.
One of the new defendants — Lul Bashir Ali — operated a small storefront restaurant in Faribault. Authorities say Ali falsely claimed to have served 700,000 meals to children.
Mohamed Ali Hussein, the founder of the nonprofit Somali American Faribault Education, allegedly claimed to have served 1.2 million meals over a 10 month period in 2021.
Prosecutors say the two received more than $5 million in federal money.
Ali and Hussein are charged by criminal information, indicating they’ve waived their right to a grand jury indictment and are expected to plead guilty.
Authorities say that Feeding Our Future and its founder Aimee Bock were at the center of this alleged scheme, and conspired with dozens of other people who had restaurants or other food service businesses. Bock, like most of the defendants, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but six of the 60 defendants have entered guilty pleas in recent months.
Source: mprnews.org
Categories: Minnesota, Business, Education, General