Earlier this month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an unprecedented investigation into whether proceeds from Minnesota’s largest fraud scandal—a staggering $250 million child nutrition scheme—were secretly funneled to al-Shabaab terror operatives in Somalia.
The revelation sent shockwaves through federal law enforcement and raised alarming questions about how American taxpayer dollars meant for hungry children ended up bankrolling extremist networks across continents. However, the reality proves to be far more complicated than the initial headlines suggested. Let’s look into this deeper.
The Discovery That Shook Federal Agencies
Aimee Bock founded Feeding Our Future in 2016, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic expanded federal child nutrition programs that the scheme exploded into a $250 million fraud network, according to the U.S. Department of Justice on December 17, 2025.
The nonprofit falsely claimed to distribute millions of meals to schoolchildren while submitting fabricated reimbursement claims. By January 2022, the FBI had raided locations nationwide. A mastermind was running the operation in plain sight.
How The Network Actually Operated
The scheme worked deceptively simple: Feeding Our Future recruited hundreds of local groups as “meal distribution sites,” submitted false reimbursement claims to Minnesota’s education department, and collected millions in federal funds never intended for meals.
Court documents revealed that only 3% of the funding actually purchased food. Defendants operated sites at parking lots and empty buildings, falsely claiming to serve 120,000 meals daily. The entire operation exploited pandemic relief designed to feed vulnerable children.
The Ringleaders Behind The Scheme
Aimee Bock collected millions in administrative fees and kickbacks while her principal co-conspirator, Salim Said, operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, fraudulently receiving over $32 million in Federal Child Nutrition funds. Court records show Said’s operation claimed to serve 4,000+ daily meals despite being a small eatery. On March 19, 2025, both were convicted on all counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. Yet the conspiracy extended far beyond these two names.
“Pure Unmitigated Greed”
“A home. Citizenship. A free college education. After that, he went on to public employment with the state of Minnesota. And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson regarding Abdiaziz Shafii Farah on August 6, 2025. Farah received 28 years’ imprisonment for his role. Judge Nancy Brasel characterized his motivation as “pure unmitigated greed” during sentencing. Personal wealth, not ideology, drove these criminals.
92 Charged, 82 Somali American
By December 18, federal prosecutors had charged 92 individuals across multiple fraud schemes, with 82 identified as Somali Americans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota. Over 50 individuals pleaded guilty, while 7 were convicted at trial. Additional defendants emerged in housing and autism services fraud. Text messages between conspirators revealed their explicit motive. One wrote: “You are gonna be the richest 25-year-old, InshaAllah,” according to CBS News on December 11, 2025.
The Luxury Spending Spree
Defendants spent the proceeds of their fraud on mansions, Mercedes vehicles, Porches, and Mediterranean real estate in Turkey—all purchased with stolen taxpayer dollars intended for children’s meals. One bought a Freightliner semi-truck ($88,000) and a Porsche vehicle totaling over $93,000.
Another $1.5 million was wired to China and Kenya for international investments and property acquisitions in Nairobi. Abdiaziz Farah alone redirected over $700,000 to real estate ventures in Kenya’s capital. The spending patterns screamed organized criminal enterprise.
How MDE Failed The System
Minnesota’s Department of Education documented warning signs as early as 2018—before the pandemic and alleged fraud began—yet failed to take action, according to the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s report from June 12, 2024. When MDE attempted to oversee, Feeding Our Future sued, claiming racial discrimination. Judge John Guthmann ruled against the state, requiring it to resume payments and imposing a $47,500 contempt fine against MDE. This single judicial error enabled the fraud to flourish for months longer.
“The Magnitude Cannot Be Overstated”
“What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It’s staggering, industrial-scale fraud,” declared First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson on December 17, 2025. Investigators discovered the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme was just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Federal prosecutors began investigating 14 separate Medicaid-funded programs across the state. Initial estimates suggested potential losses exceeding $9 billion since 2018.
Beyond Child Nutrition: Housing And Autism Fraud
Housing Stabilization Services, designed to assist elderly individuals and those with disabilities, issued unprecedented payments exceeding $300 million from 2021 through June 2025, according to federal filings from December 17, 2025. The entire program was subsequently terminated due to systemic fraud. Similarly, autism services operators fraudulently obtained millions by employing unqualified staff—often teenagers with no training—to provide therapy to vulnerable children. These schemes preyed on those most dependent on government assistance.
Kaamil Sallah And The $1.4 Million Fraud
Kaamil Omar Sallah defrauded housing assistance by claiming personal provision of 3,600 billable service hours in 2024 alone—a mathematical impossibility. He fraudulently claimed $1.4 million in housing services before fleeing to Amsterdam after being subpoenaed, according to federal charges announced December 17, 2025. Sallah spent $150,000 on cryptocurrency and disappeared. His case exemplified how defendants exploited vulnerable populations while banking on international escape routes.
The “Fraud Tourists” From Philadelphia
Anthony Waddell Jefferson and Lester Brown—two Philadelphia residents—traveled to Minnesota specifically to exploit government programs after learning it offered “easy money,” according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson on December 17, 2025. They submitted approximately $3.5 million in fraudulent housing claims despite having zero legitimate connection to Minnesota. They never established actual service operations. These “fraud tourists” highlighted how word-of-mouth networks spread exploitation techniques across state lines.
Autism Services Built On Fabrication
Asha Farhan Hassan’s Smart Therapy Center submitted claims totaling $31.8 million across all Department of Human Services programs from 2021 through 2025, though much was fraudulent, according to state records released December 17, 2025. Operators employed unqualified staff—often teenagers—to provide autism therapy. Some centers fabricated diagnoses for children without autism to make them eligible for services. Families received kickbacks ($300-$1,500 monthly per child) to ensure enrollment. Children became commodities.
“No Indication” Of Terror Financing
“There’s no indication that the defendants we’ve charged were radicalized or seeking to fund al-Shabab or other terrorist groups,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson on December 17, 2025. This statement directly contradicted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s December 1, 2025, announcement of a terrorism financing investigation. Multiple federal investigators told CBS News there is no evidence taxpayer dollars were purposefully funneled to extremist organizations. Thompson clarified: “Some money went to Somalia indirectly.”
The Somalia Connection Explained
When fraudsters sent money to Somalia through informal hawala money transfer systems, those funds moved beyond the defendants’ control. “Some money might have gotten into the hands of al-Shabab, which controls significant parts of Somalia and imposes a tax there,” Thompson acknowledged on December 17, 2025. Al-Shabaab extracts approximately 10% “license fees” from remittances in controlled regions. However, this taxation occurs passively—defendants were not coordinating with terrorists.
Sweden’s Parallel Welfare Scandal
In November 2025, Swedish authorities exposed a similar fraud pattern involving Islamist Muslim Brotherhood-linked Imams who embezzled over $100 million from Swedish preschool and welfare funds, according to Swedish newspapers Expressen. Former Member of Parliament Abdirizak Waberi illegally transferred 12 million SEK to fund sex clubs in Thailand and luxury hotels. The Swedish network explicitly funneled tens of millions to extremist groups in Malta. Minnesota’s case remains distinct from Sweden’s documented terror financing.
The Collateral Damage For Families
Children from low-income families lost access to promised meals. Adults with disabilities faced program shutdowns after Housing Stabilization Services was terminated. Families with autistic children discovered their therapists lacked qualifications or certifications, according to Department of Human Services filings from December 17, 2025. Minnesota’s Somali American community, numbering approximately 80,000 residents, experienced backlash and discrimination. Mohamed Mumin told the Star Tribune on March 12, 2022: “The community is going to pay a heavy price.”
Discrimination And Community Fear
Somali American defendants comprised the majority of those charged, yet most were American citizens by birth or naturalization. This sparked widespread fear. Two former Somali childcare operators sued the state for discrimination and defamation on July 21, 2025. Political figures weaponized the scandal. President Trump labeled Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” amplifying stereotypes. Meanwhile, legitimate families hesitated to seek assistance they legally qualified for.
Treasury Tightens Financial Oversight
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on December 10, 2025, that the Treasury Department would implement geographic targeting orders to enhance reporting obligations for money services enterprises, intensifying scrutiny of funds directed to Somalia. Treasury issued notices to FinCEN to uncover additional leads. Governor Tim Walz ordered a third-party audit due by late January. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services cut off payments to approximately 80 housing providers suspected of fraud.
The Missing $175 Million
Federal prosecutors have recovered approximately $75 million of the $250 million stolen, according to recovery filings. Roughly $175 million remains missing—spent on unrecoverable luxuries, overseas investments, or cryptocurrency. Abdiaziz Farah wired funds through China’s banking system, creating what investigators described as an “investigative black hole,” according to CBS News on December 11, 2025. Asset recovery efforts are expected to stretch across years and multiple jurisdictions.
What Comes Next For Minnesota
The investigation into whether fraud proceeds reached terrorist organizations continues, with Treasury and DOJ coordinating on international money laundering patterns. Prosecutors remain focused on personal enrichment rather than terrorism financing charges. Minnesota’s Medicaid programs face structural reforms and enhanced oversight. Most critically, children, disabled adults, and autistic youth remain the true victims of a fraud network driven by greed masquerading as community service.
Sources:
“Treasury Investigates Whether Minnesota Welfare Money Reached Al-Shabaab,” CBS News, December 1, 2025.
“In Landmark Sentence, Feeding Our Future Scheme Leader Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison,” U.S. Department of Justice, August 5, 2025.
“Six Additional Defendants Charged, One Defendant Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Fraud Schemes,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 17, 2025.
“Feds: ‘No Indication’ Minnesota Fraudsters Were Seeking to Fund Terrorists,” Fox 9 News, December 17, 2025.
“Feeding Our Future: Special Review,” Office of the Legislative Auditor, State of Minnesota, June 12, 2024.
“Islamist Muslim Brotherhood-linked Imams Embezzle Over $100 Million from Swedish Welfare Funds,” i24news, November 18, 2025.