Defendant Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff arrives at the Diana E. Murphy federal courthouse in Minneapolis on the 14th day of testimony in the Feeding Our Future trial Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer.
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS)— A 34-year-old Bloomington man convicted in the Feeding our Future COVID relief fraud case will spend over 17 years in prison, and a woman pleaded guilty Friday for her role in the scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff was sentenced on Friday to 17 years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
Shariff was also ordered to pay $47,920,514 in restitution.
Judge Nancy E. Brasel, who handed down the sentence, said Shariff’s conduct during Friday’s proceeding showed a “staggering lack of respect for the law.”
Federal officials, citing last June’s trial, said Shariff was the CEO of Afrique Hospitality Group. As CEO, he obtained, misused and laundered millions of dollars intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children.
“Their scheme was accomplished by exploiting changes in the nutrition program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said in a release.
Shariff and is co-defendants created and reported fraudulent meal count sheets claiming to document the number of children and meals served at each site, and fake invoices claiming food purchases for children at the sites.
In all, the scheme diverted $250 million in federal funds during a time when the rules were relaxed in order to keep the U.S. economy running.
Shariff’s trial last June included six other co-defendants. One of those defendants, 51-year-old Mohamed Jama Isamli, was sentenced in October to 12 years in prison for his role in the scheme. Isamli was convicted of one count each of convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
Savage woman pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Also on Friday, a 43-year-old Savage woman pleaded guilty for her role in the $250 million scheme.
Ayan Farah Abukar entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on aFriday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota says.
Citing court documents, federal officials say Abukar was the founder and executive director of Action for East African People. She enrolled the nonprofit in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and another sponsor.
Between October 2020 and the end of 2022, Abukar falsely claimed to serve as many as 5,000 children a day at her various sites around the Twin Cities, federal officials say. She received around $5.7 million in fraudulent funds from the Federal Child Nutrition Program.
Abukar allegedly also paid more than $330,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future Employee, and spent millions on real estate.
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