Fraud Scheme Exposes Minnesota Politicians

Democratic leaders in Minnesota, including the state’s attorney general, have reportedly received a total of $53,000 in campaign contributions from scammers who misappropriated taxpayer funds intended for children’s support.

Notable figures like City Councilman Keith Ellison, his son serving on the City Council, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Representative Ilhan Omar were among those who received these fraudulent funds, part of a broader scheme that siphoned approximately $250 million, primarily through a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. This raises some questions about how well these officials understood the source of the funds, especially given their interactions with the scammers.

“I’m not here because I think it will help my re-election,” Ellison said during a gathering with Somali business owners, as captured in recordings. Two individuals from that meeting later faced criminal charges related to the affair.

Shortly after that meeting on December 11, 2021, Ellison’s campaign received a $10,000 donation from the businessmen involved. Gandhi Muhammad, one of them, has faced federal bribery and fraud accusations and had donated as much as $2,500 to Ellison’s re-election fund.

On that same day, Ellison’s campaign also accepted three other donations related to Feeding Our Future, each amounting to $2,500.

“It’s astonishing that Ellison has taken no action against the fraud, especially since he is meant to uphold the law as the state’s top cop,” commented Bill Grahn, a policy researcher with the American Experiment Center.

Ellison’s spokesperson defended him, insisting that no attendees at the December meeting donated to his campaign, stating, “Upon discovering their connections to Feeding Our Future, we returned all donations from a small number of individuals.”

The ongoing inquiry into this “widespread misconduct” has been highlighted in a letter sent by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ellison.

This scandal is one of the largest welfare fraud cases in U.S. history, accounting for both federal and state funds intended for Feeding Our Future, which had claimed to distribute millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic. Unfortunately, most of those meals never materialized, with the cash funneled to businesses tied to nonprofit organizations within the Somali community.

Representative Omar has pushed forward a bill allowing her to host gatherings to provide meals, particularly for the owner of a restaurant involved in the scandal.

Her campaign reportedly accepted $7,400 from those later convicted of fraud but claimed the funds were returned after allegations surfaced in 2022. Omar maintains she was unaware of any fraudulent activities.

Keith Ellison’s son, Jeremiah, who served on the Minneapolis City Council and supported police defunding, also accepted donations from individuals connected to the Feeding Our Future scandal, including a brother of Gandhi Muhammad. He has reportedly returned a $3,000 donation.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, too, benefited from this scandal, receiving $9,000 from nine defendants. One of his former aides, Abdi Nur Salah, later pleaded guilty to wire fraud in relation to this case.

Frey recently won a re-election battle against Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh, who also collected $11,000 from people involved in the fraud, later returning the funds, including a $1,000 donation from one of the alleged perpetrators.

“It’s interesting to note that two of the largest fraudulent contributions targeted opposing candidates in the mayor’s election,” Grahn remarked. “Both Frey and Fateh received substantial amounts from individuals engaged in fraud, yet they seemingly had no impact on the election.”

The findings suggest that Minnesota officials were aware of the issues surrounding Feeding Our Future yet continued to allocate funding, fearing legal repercussions from community leaders complicit in the fraud.

The federal investigation has already indicted 75 individuals, with over half pleading guilty.

A significant recipient of the fraudulent funds was Shukri Olow’s campaign in Washington State, which, oddly enough, is outside Minnesota. Olow oversees a youth empowerment department in Seattle and ran for the Washington State House of Representatives. Her campaign took in $8,750 from ten individuals later indicted for their roles in the Minnesota fraud.

Grahn commented on the unusual connections between the Feeding Our Future scandal and Seattle, highlighting that the city has one of the largest Somali populations in the western U.S.

Other Minnesota politicians ensnared include state Senator John Hoffman, who received $3,000 from the fraudsters, and former state Representative John Thompson, who took in $1,000. Hoffman’s campaign has confirmed that those funds were returned.