Fraud in Minnesota: Top 10 cases involving government funding
Fraud in MInnesota: Aimee Bock sentenced in Feeding our Future scheme
Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison Thursday in connection with the Feeding our Future fraud scheme. FOX 9's Mary McGuire was in court.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Last week, Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years behind bars for being the ringleader behind the massive Feeding our Future fraud scheme.
Aimee Bock’s penalty
What we know:
The scheme resulted in a loss of $250 million. Not only was she sentenced to 41.5 years in prison, but Bock was also ordered to pay $243 million in restitution.
Her defense attorney argued she was trying to help the East African community and was betrayed by those she helped, while former acting attorney Joe Thompson said after court he "doesn't take anything Bock says at face value."
Minnesota has become the epicenter of the national spotlight on fraud, between Feeding our Future, Housing stabilization, Somali-run day care center, Medicaid and Autism fraud schemes.
So what are some of the other top individual fraud cases? Here’s a look:
Top 10 Individual fraud cases
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah — $47 million
Fara and co-defendants stole more than $47 million in program funds by claiming to serve 18 million meals to kids at more than 30 food distribution sites, but was allegedly responsible himself for defrauding the government out of $28 million. He is believed to have received, personally, $8.1 million of that amount.
Farah was sentenced to 28 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He’s also been ordered to pay $47.9 million in restitution.
Charles Wayne Healey and Katherin Suzan Larsen-Guthmiller — $22.7 million
Charles Wayne Healey and Katherin Suzan Larsen-Guthmiller operated Healey Homes. From 2021 until Healey Homes was closed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services in 2025, the defendants received $22.7 million in Medicaid reimbursements for supposedly providing Individualized Home Supports (IHS) services to vulnerable adults. Charges say they charged recipients below-market rent in exchange for agreeing to be used to bill Minnesota Medicaid.
Shamso Ahmed Hassan and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf — $46.6 million
Shamso Ahmed Hassan and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf put together a scheme to defraud Minnesota Medicaid’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program, of which approximately $21.2 million was paid. Hassan was a shareholder in two autism centers, Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center, although she did not disclose their ownership interests to the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required.
Both paid kickbacks to families to incentivize them to send their children to Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center so that those centers could bill for EIDBI services. Hasson pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Abdulkadir Nur Salah — $16 million
Abdulkadir Nur Salah was the co-owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Overall, the sites run by his group received more than $47 million in federal reimbursements, most of which were fraudulent.
Salah pleaded guilty and has not yet been sentenced, but agreed to pay $5.5 million in restitution. He’s expected to serve between nine and 11.5 years in prison.
Haji Salad — $11.4 million
Haji Salad is the owner and operator of Haji’s Kitchen.
Between June 2020 through 2022, Salad falsely claimed that Haji’s Kitchen was a food vendor for more than 15 million meals. Haji admitted to stealing $19 million and pocketing $11.4 million.
In total, Salad fraudulently received approximately $11,483,827 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, which he spent on real estate and luxury vehicles.
Salad pleaded guilty and has not yet been sentenced, but has agreed to pay $11.4 million in restitution. Sentencing guidelines call for between 5 and 6.5 years in prison.
Anab Artan Awad — $11.2 million
Anab Artan Awad fraudulently claimed $11,237,106 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, of which the Minnesota Department of Education paid out $9,668,384.
In all, Awad and her purported vendors obtained $9,333,858 in fraud proceeds for herself and others.
Awad pleaded guilty, and agreed to a prison sentence of up to five years.
Suleman Yusuf Mohamed — $10.1 million
Star Distribution ultimately received approximately $10.1 million of Federal Child Nutrition Program funds — purportedly for providing food for more than 4.8 million meals — it spent relatively minimal amounts of that money on food. Suleman Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and has agreed to pay $8,662,287 in restitution.
Mohamed pleaded guilty and sentencing guidelines call for between 41 and 51 months in prison.
Mekfira Hussein — $8.8 million
Hussein enrolled her nonprofit, Shamsia Hopes, in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.
Throughout the fraudulent conspiracy, the Hussein’s obtained up to $8.8 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, some of which they used to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeding children.
Hussein pleaded guilty, agreeing to surrender assets and pay restitution. Sentencing guidelines call for four to five years in prison.
Hanna Marekegn — $7.1 million
As the owner of Brava Café, charges say Marekegn's company claimed to have served over two million meals to children between September 2020 and fall 2021, and obtained approximately $7.1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.
She pleaded guilty, and sentencing guidelines call for 37 to 46 months in prison, along with restitution.
Fahima Egeh Mahamud — $4.6 million
Charges say that as the CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning, Mahamud submitted false paperwork to Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program claiming that she had properly collected co-payment needed to receive reimbursements from the government.
In total, prosecutors say the day care pocketed more than $4.6 million from CCAP.