Fraud scandal deepens: Key defendant who met top Minnesota official pleads guilty

Another five individuals pleaded guilty in a massive fraud scandal in Minnesota, including one who met with the state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison.

Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, 42, was a consultant for Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit at the center of a federal fraud investigation. Mohamed was identified by the Justice Department as a leader in the massive fraud scheme.

Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, according to the Justice Department press release.

In the case of United States v. Mohamed et al, Mohamed purported to run food program sites in Minneapolis and its suburbs, as well as a food distribution entity. The Justice Department said the defendants, Mohamed and her family and friends, worked together to steal and launder $14.6 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program money intended to feed hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December 2021, Ellison met with members of Feeding Our Future, including Mohamed, The Daily Signal previously reported. She and others complained to Ellison about the Minnesota Department of Education cutting funds from the charity.

Ellison’s spokesman previously told The Daily Signal that the attorney general did not take any action to help the Feeding Our Future organization.

Mohammed said the funding cuts were “a form of violence against our community under the color of law,” according to a recording of the meeting. In response, Ellison referred to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, saying, “He knows that there’s a lot of unfair discriminatory stuff going on with East African businesses, I know it.”

The attorney general listened to the concerns of the organization, said Ellison’s press secretary, Brian Evans.

“During the meeting, Attorney General Ellison very clearly asked attendees to share examples of the discriminatory or unfair conduct they claim to have faced,” Evans told The Daily Signal in December 2025. “They did not do so, and no action was taken in support of them.”

According to the Justice Department press release, “Mohamed opened several food sites that were enrolled in and received over $6.9 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.”

The Justice Department said that Mohamed listed entities under the names of family members and created a food distribution company with her brother called Star Distribution LLC, which went on to create fraudulent invoices for the family-controlled entities. The fake invoices indicated it had sold inflated volumes of food to the sites.

“At Mohamed’s advice, other program sites sponsored by Feeding Our Future used Star Distribution, causing it to receive $1.4 million for fraudulent invoices,” the Justice Department said. “Star Distribution also received $4.9 million directly from Feeding Our Future for the meals allegedly served at the family-controlled sites.”

Along with Mohamed, four other individuals pleaded guilty to wire fraud for their roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud, according to U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen. The four were Aisha Hassan Hussein, Sahra Sharif Osman, Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, and Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf.

“I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota,” Rosen said in a public statement.

Mohamed and Abdisalam pled guilty on March 18, while Hussein, Osman, and Yusuf pled guilty on March 20, all before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel of the District of Minnesota.

Tyler O’Neil contributed to this story.

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]