Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MINNEAPOLIS –Two more defendants pleaded guilty for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, from approximately April 2020 through January 2022, Abdulkadir Nur Salah, 38, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and Abdi Nur Salah, 37, of St. Paul, Minnesota, knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need. The co-conspirators obtained, misappropriated, and laundered millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than feed children, the defendants took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic—and the resulting program changes—to enrich themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds.
According to court documents, Abdulkadir Nur Salah was co-owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Abdi Nur Salah registered Stigma-Free International, a non-profit entity used to carry out the fraud scheme with sites throughout Minnesota, including in Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Paul. Abdi Salah also worked for the City of Minneapolis as a Senior Policy Aide to the Mayor.
As part of their plea agreement entered today, each defendant agreed that a variety of assets and money were derived specifically from their fraud scheme and are thus subject to forfeiture to the United States. For Abdulkadir Salah that includes: $309,993.51 seized from Bell Bank account for Cosmopolitan Business Solutions d/b/a Safari Restaurant; $435,512.44 seized from Bell Bank account for 3017 LLC; $472,889.08 seized from Northeast Bank account for 3017 LLC; real estate property located at 2722 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. For Abdi Salah, that includes $343,418.98 seized from Star Choice Credit Union account for Stone Bridge Development, LLC; real estate properties located at 8432 Noble Avenue, North Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (known previously as Kelly’s 19th Hole) and 2529 12th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Both pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. Their sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.