Two Brothers Plead Guilty In Feeding Our Future Fraud Case

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Two more defendants have pleaded guilty in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, as federal prosecutors say millions meant to feed children were instead pocketed by those involved.

Suleman Yusuf Mohamed and his brother, Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, admitted to their roles in the case, bringing the total number of convicted defendants to 65, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Suleman Mohamed operated Star Distribution as a food vendor under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit at the center of what authorities have called one of the largest COVID-era fraud schemes in the country.

The company received about $10.1 million in federal child nutrition funds, purportedly to provide millions of meals to children. Instead, authorities said only a small portion of that money was spent on food, with the rest used for personal expenses or funneled to others involved in the scheme.

Suleman Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and agreed to pay $8,662,287 in restitution.

Gandi Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. Prosecutors said he used his companies to receive and launder about $1.3 million in fraud proceeds tied to meal distribution sites. He has agreed to repay that amount.

Both men will be sentenced at a later date.

The Feeding Our Future case first came to light in 2022, when federal prosecutors charged dozens of people in a scheme they said siphoned roughly $250 million from a federally funded program meant to feed children during the pandemic.

Authorities have said the nonprofit dramatically expanded during COVID-19, overseeing hundreds of meal sites across Minnesota that claimed to serve thousands of children per day, numbers investigators later found were fabricated.

In the years since, the case has grown into one of the largest fraud prosecutions in Minnesota history, with dozens of guilty pleas and multiple convictions at trial. Early cases revealed a pattern of fake meal counts, shell companies, and kickbacks tied to federal reimbursements.

A separate state audit later found that inadequate oversight by the Minnesota Department of Education “created opportunities for fraud” and failed to stop warning signs before the scheme ballooned.

Federal authorities continue to prosecute individuals tied to the scheme, with additional sentencings and cases still pending.

The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.