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“The conviction many in the Feeding Our Future case is yet another reminder of the vast reach of this fraud and the scale of the crisis we face in Minnesota,” Thompson said. “These crimes are not isolated events. They are part of a web of schemes targeting programs that are intended to lift up Minnesotans and bleeding them dry. From where I sit, the scale of the fraud in Minnesota is staggering, and every rock we turn over reveals more. We must be honest and clear-eyed about the scope of this problem, because ending it will take an unyielding, all-hands-on-deck effort from all of us.”
Court records reveal the scheme stretched from December 2020 to January 2022. Said registered a nonprofit called Advance Youth Athletic Development in February 2021, listing its address as a Minneapolis apartment building.
Within weeks, he began submitting fraudulent paperwork claiming to feed 5,000 children per day under the federally funded child nutrition program. By year’s end, he claimed over one million meals had been served — but prosecutors say the real number was only a fraction of that.
Investigators say Said created fake meal counts, phony attendance rosters, and forged invoices to rake in federal money.
The fraud was lucrative. Prosecutors allege Said pocketed $2.9 million in federal funds and funneled $2.1 million through a catering business while splurging on real estate, cars, and personal luxuries using shell companies and nonprofits.
He now faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced.
While Rep. Ilhan Omar herself has not been charged, the case adds another controversy to the list surrounding figures in her political orbit.
In 2019, Minnesota’s campaign finance board found Omar’s state legislative campaign violated reporting rules and misused campaign funds, forcing her to repay $3,469.23.
The Feeding Our Future probe also triggered political fallout for other Minnesota Democrats.
Federal prosecutors recently charged Muna Wais Fidhin, 44, for allegedly stealing $1 million through fake meal sites. She became the 75th person indicted in the scheme since 2022.
State Sen. Omar Fateh, a progressive Democrat running for Minneapolis mayor, admitted returning a $1,000 campaign donation from Fidhin once her indictment became public.
Fateh’s campaign spokesperson confirmed:
“Fateh returned the donation on Sept. 4, the same day that federal investigators apprehended Fidhin and a judge unsealed the indictment against her.”
According to the campaign, Fateh had no idea about Fidhin’s alleged role in the fraud before her arrest.
Similar donations tied to Feeding Our Future defendants were also returned by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in 2022.
This case continues to widen, exposing deep failures in pandemic oversight and raising serious questions about where taxpayer money actually went during the COVID years.
