Minnesota fraud: Man sentenced to 1 year, 1 day in Feeding Our Future scheme

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man was sentenced in federal court on Monday to one year and one day for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Feeding Our Future sentencing

The backstory:

The first charges in the Feeding Our Future scheme came down in 2022 and the scheme involves accusations of stealing over $250 million intended for pandemic relief to feed children. Since then, 79 people have been charged, with most pleading guilty or being convicted at trial.

The sentencing:

In court Monday morning, Abdul Abubakar Ali was sentenced to one year and one day for his role in the scheme. Ali pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to his plea, Ali used a nonprofit, Youth Inventors Lab, as a shell company to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent reimbursement claims for meals that were never served to children in need. He and his co-conspirators used fake invoices for food and services, falsely claiming to have provided roughly 1.3 million meals over a seven-month period. The organization was paid more than $3 million in reimbursements, and Ali reportedly obtained at least $129,000 as part of the scheme.

During the sentencing, the judge said Ali had already paid $90,000 of the $122,000 of ordered restitution, adding that Ali was one of the first people to plead guilty and was helpful in the interview process. Those mitigating factors led to a shorter sentence, compared to the recommended court guidelines of 30 to 36 months. 

When speaking in court, Ali was emotional and said he would be "sorry for the rest of his life." 

Change of plea hearing in Feeding Our Future case rescheduled

Change of plea:

Meanwhile, a change of plea hearing for Suleman Yusuf Mohamed scheduled for Monday afternoon, after originally being set for March 20, has been rescheduled again for Thursday morning. 

Prosecutors say Mohamed’s company, Star Distribution LLC, claimed to operate as a food distribution business and received about $10 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Mohamed is currently facing federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.