More Feeding Our Future defendants sentenced, ordered to repay funds
Federal judges this week in Minnesota sentenced several more defendants in the Feeding Our Future pandemic meal-fraud case and ordered them to repay millions in losses to child nutrition programs.[1]
Husband and wife defendants Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein received 57 months and 40 months in prison, respectively, and were ordered to pay $8,886,380 in joint restitution.[2] Abdihakim Ali Ahmed was sentenced to 54 months, must report to prison on Oct. 6 at noon, and prosecutors say ASA Limited LLC received about $5 million in fraudulent child nutrition payments with more than $2 million paid to Ahmed.[3] Minneapolis man Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi was sentenced to 65 months after prosecutors say his ASA Limited site billed for more than 1.6 million meals and caused about $7.2 million in losses.[4] Court records say Ghedi funneled more than $2 million into a shell company, spent large sums on vehicles and credit cards, and will forfeit a Park Avenue mansion and a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.[4] Hussein Mohamed Farah was sentenced to 20 months and ordered to pay $471,000, and Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim received 36 months for related fraud tied to claimed meal services.[1]
In spring 2020, as COVID-19 closed schools, the U.S. Department of Agriculture loosened child nutrition rules and allowed nonprofits such as Feeding Our Future to sponsor hundreds of new meal sites. Minnesota Department of Education staff flagged implausible claims in April 2021, prompting an FBI inquiry and searches of Feeding Our Future offices on Jan. 20, 2022 that uncovered fabricated rosters and diverted funds. Prosecutors announced the first indictments against 48 people on Sept. 20, 2022 and have described the alleged scheme as involving roughly $250 million in fraudulent claims.
Judge Nancy Brasel told a defendant, "This was a global pandemic. Instead of helping, you did the opposite of helping and you stole." FOX 9 Abdihakim Ali Ahmed apologized, "This was a terrible moment in my life. I am extremely sorry," and the court set his report date for Oct. 6 at noon while recommending a Minnesota minimum-security placement.[3]
The mainstream summary does not mention the specific nature of the fraudulent activities, such as how Ahmed Ghedi's operation billed for over 1.6 million meals using fabricated data like Excel-generated random ages for nonexistent children, which underscores the systematic nature of the fraud involved in the Feeding Our Future scheme. @Newsforce highlights this detail, emphasizing the extent of deception that contributed to the staggering $250 million in fraudulent claims.
Moreover, while the mainstream coverage presents the sentences as significant, social media commentary reveals a sentiment that the penalties may be too lenient. @DixieLLawrence argues for stricter accountability, suggesting that the defendants should remain incarcerated until full restitution is made to taxpayers, indicating a broader concern about the adequacy of the judicial response to such large-scale fraud. This perspective suggests that the implications of the case extend beyond individual accountability to a larger conversation about justice and restitution in cases of financial misconduct.
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Federal prosecutors say multiple "Feeding Our Future" defendants were sentenced and ordered to repay millions after running schemes that billed for fake child meals and rosters; reporting on the prosecutions is summarized by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Feeding Our Future fraudsters sentenced to prison, ordered to pay restitution.
- Abdihakim Ali Ahmed was sentenced to 54 months in prison, must report on October 6 at noon (Brasel recommended a Minnesota minimum‑security facility), and apologized in court saying, “This was a terrible moment in my life. I am extremely sorry,” while Judge Nancy Brasel added, “This was a global pandemic. Instead of helping, you did the opposite of helping and you stole.” Abdihakim Ali Ahmed.
- Investigators say ASA Limited LLC was a shell company used by Ahmed and co‑conspirators to receive about $5 million in fraudulent child nutrition payments, with more than $2 million going directly to Ahmed. ASA Limited LLC.
- Prosecutors described fabricated roster spreadsheets for an after‑school program that used an Excel formula to randomly assign ages between 7 and 17 to each fictitious child. roster spreadsheets.
- Minneapolis man Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison (plus two years supervised release); prosecutors say ASA Limited (sponsored by Feeding Our Future) falsely claimed to serve 2,000–3,000 children per day and billed for more than 1.6 million meals from Sept. 2020–Sept. 2021, causing about $7.2 million in losses. Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi.
- Court documents say Ghedi funneled more than $2 million in federal nutrition funds into shell company AG Limited LLC, spent over $245,000 on vehicles and $200,000+ on credit cards, sent roughly $560,000 to Cosmopolitan Business Properties LLC toward a Park Avenue mansion (which, along with a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, will be forfeited), and paid kickbacks while Feeding Our Future collected nearly $400,000 in administrative fees for sponsoring ASA Limited. Cosmopolitan Business Properties LLC.
- Hussein Mohamed Farah was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $471,000 in restitution after prosecutors say his nonprofit, New Vision Foundation, received about $2.7 million between Feb. 2021 and Jan. 2022 by submitting bogus meal count sheets and rosters. Hussein Mohamed Farah.
- Other sentences include Ahmed Sharif Omar‑Hashim (aka “Salah Donyale”) receiving 36 months in prison for wire fraud tied to Total Financial Solutions (prosecutors say he fraudulently claimed to serve more than 1.6 million meals), and husband‑and‑wife defendants Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein receiving 57 and 40 months respectively with joint restitution of $8,886,380 tied to their entities Shamsia Hopes and Oromia Feeds LLC. Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Identifies husband and wife defendants as Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein, two of the original Feeding Our Future defendants.
- Details their specific sentences: 57 months (Mekfira) and 40 months (Abduljabar) in federal prison, plus 2 and 1 years of supervised release, respectively.
- Specifies joint restitution amount of $8,886,380 and describes how their entities — Shamsia Hopes and Oromia Feeds LLC — were structured under Feeding Our Future.
- Adds that they paid kickbacks to Aimee Bock and Abdikerm Eidleh disguised as consulting fees, and used proceeds to pay off their mortgage and buy cars.
- Hussein Mohamed Farah was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for wire fraud and ordered to pay $471,000 in restitution.
- Prosecutors say Farah’s nonprofit, New Vision Foundation, received about $2.7 million between February 2021 and January 2022 by submitting bogus meal count sheets and rosters for two claimed food-distribution sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.
- Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim (aka “Salah Donyale”) was sentenced to 36 months in prison for one count of wire fraud tied to his company Total Financial Solutions.
- Investigators say Omar-Hashim fraudulently claimed to serve more than 1.6 million meals to children between September 2020 and September 2021 as part of the scheme.
- Identifies Minneapolis man Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi, 37, as a second key operator in the Maplewood Gurey Deli scheme and reports he was sentenced to 65 months (about 5½ years) in federal prison, plus two years of supervised release.
- Details that ASA Limited LLC, sponsored by Feeding Our Future, falsely claimed to serve 2,000–3,000 children per day at Gurey Deli and billed for more than 1.6 million meals from September 2020 to September 2021, causing a $7.2 million loss to child nutrition programs.
- Reports that Ghedi funneled more than $2 million in federal nutrition funds into shell company AG Limited LLC, used over $245,000 on vehicles and more than $200,000 in credit card spending, and sent roughly $560,000 to Cosmopolitan Business Properties LLC toward a mansion at 2722 and 2742 Park Avenue South in Minneapolis.
- Notes that the Park Avenue mansion and a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be forfeited, and that Ghedi paid at least $49,000 in kickbacks to Feeding Our Future employee Abdikerm Eidleh while Feeding Our Future collected nearly $400,000 in administrative fees for sponsoring ASA Limited.
- Clarifies that sentencing guidelines for Ghedi were 63–78 months and that he drew a longer sentence than co‑conspirator Abdihakim Ali Ahmed because of his criminal history.
- Confirms ASA Limited LLC as the shell company used by Ahmed and co‑conspirators to receive approximately $5 million in fraudulent child nutrition payments, with more than $2 million going directly to Ahmed.
- Specifies that roster spreadsheets for a supposed after‑school program used an Excel formula to randomly assign ages between 7 and 17 for each fabricated child.
- Adds Judge Nancy Brasel’s on‑record quote: “This was a global pandemic. Instead of helping, you did the opposite of helping and you stole.”
- Details that prosecutors asked for a 57‑month sentence at the top of the guideline range and that Judge Brasel instead imposed 54 months.
- States that Ahmed must report to prison on October 6 at noon and that Brasel recommended a minimum‑security facility in Minnesota.
- Quotes Ahmed’s courtroom apology: “This was a terrible moment in my life. I am extremely sorry.”