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Food Fraud
What the federal charges say about how Feeding Our Future found an opportunity at Minneapolis City Hall
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced criminal charges Tuesday against three political appointees connected to the Minneapolis Mayor’s office. The federal indictments also lay out new details of how a City Council member’s defunct nonprofit allegedly turned into a tool for the embezzlement of several million dollars.
Food fraud
Mekfira Hussein defended her work feeding needy children. Prosecutors now accuse her of buying a Tesla and other goods with money intended for those kids.
Mekfira Hussein told Sahan Journal in early 2022 that her experience with hunger as a child refugee inspired her to feed underprivileged children. Federal charges unsealed this week allege that she used government money intended to feed such children on personal purchases instead.
CULTURE & community
Minnesota vigils mourn Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked protests in Iran.
Mahsa Amini was detained in Tehran by the country’s morality police that enforces a strict dress code. Amini was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely. She died on Sept. 16.
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latest stories
Most defendants in the Feeding Our Future investigation were spared jail time.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis says three of the suspects have left the country, but prosecutors don’t consider most of the others are flight risks, and have not asked judges to detain them.
Governor Walz ‘would hope’ for investigation into judge who presided over Feeding Our Future lawsuit.
Governor Tim Walz expressed frustration with the judge who presided over a lawsuit between Feeding Our Future and the Minnesota Department of Education. The judge found the state in contempt of court in 2021, and ordered it to pay Feeding Our Future $47,500 in fines and fees.
Forty-eight suspects, $250 million allegedly stolen, and 257 pages of allegations. Eight interesting things about the alleged food-aid fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future.
Tuesday’s unsealed charging documents revealed new details about the alleged $250 million food-aid fraud scheme in Minnesota. It involves at least 48 co-conspirators, three of whom have left the country.
Charges in alleged federal food-aid fraud are rich in detail, but complex issues could confuse jurors, legal scholars say.
Local law professors say it will be a challenge for prosecutors to walk through how allegedly stolen funds were used for personal gain. They also suspect that with 48 defendants, many will defend themselves by pointing the blame at higher-ups in their organizations.
Resources for Minnesotans to stay connected online: A Sahan Journal community conversation.
Not all households have the same access to technology, an issue that became heightened during the COVID pandemic when people were forced to work or attend school from home. Experts at a community conversation hosted by Comcast and Sahan Journal share several tips and resources to improve digital equity.
Recovery awareness growing in East African community as opioid crisis takes toll.
Advocates like Farhia Budul sounded the alarm Saturday at the Minnesota State Capitol about the opioid crisis. Hundreds gathered at the capitol grounds to participate in the Walk for Recovery.
Timeline: How feeding underprivileged children turned into a sweeping federal investigation.
The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office indicted several suspects in the alleged theft of millions of federal dollars. The money was supposed to go towards feeding underprivileged children, but investigators believe suspects used the money on cars, homes, and vacations.
Aimee Bock of Feeding Our Future charged in alleged food-fraud case
The indictment against Bock, executive director of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, is part of a sweeping federal investigation into the alleged theft of money from two programs meant to feed mostly children in daycare and afterschool settings.
Federal authorities charge 48 people in Feeding Our Future investigation—allegedly ‘largest pandemic fraud in the United States.’
Following a sprawling eight-month investigation, federal authorities on Tuesday announced a wave of criminal charges related to the alleged embezzlement of more than $250 million from federal nutrition programs. The indictments, many connected to a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, have implicated prominent local leaders in politics, housing, business, and education.
Confused about the new COVID booster? Here’s what to know and how to get one.
The new bivalent COVID-19 booster is available at state-run sites in Bloomington, Rochester, Moorhead and Duluth. Appointments are required.
Election for Minnesota Secretary of State will affect immigrant voting access
Kim Crockett, the Republican candidate, has questioned whether people who can’t read English should be able to vote in Minnesota. Steve Simon, the Democratic incumbent, cites his record expanding translation and interpretation services for immigrant voters.
Rondo’s ‘lady of line dance’ keeps community grooving.
Tina Jackson has been teaching soul line dancing for more than 15 years. She’s helping folks get their groove on at the Oxford Community Center in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.
Trinity Hanif: Progressive voters must turn out in November despite primary losses.
Progressives must turn out for issues like abortion access, gay marriage, and contraceptives, writes Trinity Hanif.
Nurses of color on a historic strike share why they’re fighting for increased staffing, higher wages, and better patient care.
Around 15,000 Minnesota nurses went on strike for three days this week. Some say it’s not all about getting higher pay. They cite the need for better staffing and working conditions so they can provide patients the best care.
Minnesota artist has deep roots in Chicano art movement.
Jimmy Longoria’s art hangs in U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s office and in actor Cheech Marin’s private collection. Now, Minnesota Twins fans have a Longoria design, too–signed T-shirts.
An end to Senator Omar Fateh’s ethics investigation: Senate committee passes resolution requiring him to undergo campaign finance training.
The Senate Rules and Administration Committee dismissed the ethics complaints seven Republicans filed against Senator Omar Fateh. But it found that he failed to disclose $1,000 in payments for political ads.
Minnesota Department of Education failures ‘magnified’ multi-million dollar food aid fraud, new Senate report finds.
A report from the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee says the Minnesota Department of Education failed to follow state and federal laws in administering federal money earmarked to feed underprivileged children.
Willmar schools hire teachers from the Philippines, Nicarauga to address shortage.
Roosevelt Elementary School in Willmar, Minnesota, hired teachers from the Philippines and Nicaragua to fill open teaching positions. The teachers are adjusting to Minnesota life, but are worried about winter.
Artist Inkpa Mani resigns from Minneapolis park project amid claims of cultural appropriation.
Inkpa Mani, née Javier Lara-Ruiz, was awarded a $400,000 commission to create a stone sculpture in downtown Minneapolis. A few months later, his contract came to an abrupt end when some critics questioned his ties to the Dakota community.
Praying for better heart health? It may help. New Mayo Clinic study shows better health outcomes for religiously active Black Minnesotans.
A pair of recent Mayo Clinic studies, led by Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, show that religious or spiritual Black people tend to have stronger indicators of heart health than less religious Black people. Her research, conducted at Black churches in Minnesota, also indicates that congregants appear eager to use apps and digital interventions that encourage exercise and heart-healthy diets.
Nonprofit named in food aid fraud investigation sues Minnesota Department of Education with hopes to access more money.
Partners in Quality Care says the Minnesota Department of Education retaliated against it by prohibiting it from accessing federal funds. The money is earmarked to feed underserved children.
Intruders vandalize St. Cloud mosque; members express shock, concern.
Early Thursday morning, an employee discovered that intruders had entered the Islamic Center of St. Cloud, then caused additional damage inside. St. Cloud police later arrested two people, a 23-year-old Rogers man and a 25-year-old woman from New Hope.
Minnesota’s green spaces haven’t been welcoming to many people of color. A new outdoor education program seeks to unlock the great outdoors.
A pilot project called Nature for New Minnesotans ties English language instruction to a natural-history curriculum. Adult participants from Somalia, Laos, and Myanmar end the course with a hands-on experience in fishing or camping.
MORE STORIES
May Lor Xiong is the first Hmong candidate to win a Republican congressional primary. Next: Taking on Congresswoman Betty McCollum.
May Lor Xiong said the protests following George Floyd’s murder exposed a void in political leadership that she hopes to fill. Her priorities include creating programs to reduce crime committed by young people of color and restricting access at the United States’ southern border.
A bunny with too much energy. A kangaroo with separation anxiety. Minneapolis fourth-graders shake back-to-school jitters with help from animal friends
In Minneapolis, Spanish immersion students are still adjusting to school changes after last year’s Comprehensive District Design went into effect. On the first day of school, a book about animals facing their back-to-school fears helped put their own anxieties into perspective.
‘Representation matters’: Burnsville elementary school welcomes Minnesota’s first female Somali American principal.
Salma Hussein became the new principal of Gideon Pond Elementary School, where 40 percent of students are Somali. She hopes to use her social-work skills and cultural background to help students feel connected and supported at school.
St. Paul opens nation’s first Hmong language and culture middle school
The new school on the East Side of St. Paul represents the fulfillment of a longtime goal for St. Paul Public Schools officials—and many Hmong families. School officials hope the new school will make the district more attractive to families who might choose charter schools instead.
St. Paul refugee resettlement agency launches nation’s first guaranteed income program for immigrants.
The International Institute of Minnesota is giving 25 families $750 a month for 12 months. The program is funded by foundations and private donors.
‘It’s going to be a really good year, InshaAllah!’: The first day of school in the Twin Cities brings excitement, fear, and new locker combinations.
An elementary school in Burnsville welcomes a new Somali American principal; St. Paul opens what may be the nation’s first Hmong middle school; and Spanish immersion students in Minneapolis make sense of redistricting—from a kangaroo’s perspective.
South Minneapolis mosque suffers $50,000 in losses and damages after a weekend burglary. Suspect remains at large.
A suspect was captured on surveillance video breaking into Tawfiq Islamic Center and forcing his way into several rooms. A local leader said it’s too early to say whether bias played a role in the break-in.
Minnesota’s Indian community raises concerns about anti-Muslim sentiment and politics in India.
The India Coalition formed last month to raise awareness about anti-Muslim policies in India. They’re concerned that the government’s practices and rhetoric have led to discrimination in India and the United States.
Ukrainian teens find safe haven in Minnesota.
Local woman took on legal guardianship of students so they can continue their education in peace.
