Feeding Our Future Scandal: Defendants, Roles, and Sentences

Federal prosecutors have charged 78 people in the Feeding Our Future case, the largest pandemic-related fraud prosecution in the United States, with total losses now estimated at roughly $300 million in child nutrition funds.1United States Department of Justice. In Landmark Sentence, Feeding Our Future Scheme Leader Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison2U.S. Department of Justice. 78th Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme The defendants fall into a handful of distinct roles: the nonprofit’s founder and her closest partners, the operators who ran the largest fraudulent food sites, the people who laundered the money, the employees who took kickbacks, and a smaller group later charged with trying to bribe a juror. Here is who each of them is and what they did.

The Founder and Her Closest Partners

Aimee Bock

Bock founded Feeding Our Future in 2016 and served as its executive director. Prosecutors called her the mastermind who used the nonprofit’s role as a program sponsor to engineer the entire fraud, sponsoring more than 250 meal sites across Minnesota between March 2020 and January 2022.3United States Department of Justice. Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme In exchange, the nonprofit collected more than $18 million in administrative fees it was never entitled to.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dozens Charged in $250 Million COVID Fraud Scheme A federal jury convicted Bock on all counts in March 2025 after a six-week trial. She has been ordered to forfeit approximately $5.2 million, including a Porsche and other personal property. As of late 2025, she had not yet been sentenced.

Salim Said

Said, former co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, was tried alongside Bock and convicted on all counts in March 2025. Federal prosecutors sought $7.8 million in restitution from him for his role in laundering fraudulent funds. He too was awaiting sentencing as of late 2025.3United States Department of Justice. Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah

Farah ran what prosecutors described as one of the most aggressive operations within the scheme. A federal jury convicted him in June 2024 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal programs bribery, money laundering, and making false statements on a passport application. He directed the flow of stolen funds so co-conspirators received their shares, spent roughly $4.2 million on real estate across the Twin Cities and in Kentucky, and bought a Porsche, a GMC truck, and a Tesla in about six months. He also laundered proceeds through China.5Internal Revenue Service. In Landmark Sentence, Feeding Our Future Scheme Leader Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison

In August 2025, a federal judge sentenced Farah to 28 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, the longest sentence in the case and one of the longest ever imposed for pandemic fraud. He was also ordered to pay $47,920,514 in restitution.1United States Department of Justice. In Landmark Sentence, Feeding Our Future Scheme Leader Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison

The Empire Cuisine Group

One of the largest clusters of fraud revolved around Empire Cuisine and Market LLC, which claimed to operate more than 30 food distribution sites, falsely reported serving 18 million meals, and stole more than $47 million in program funds.

Mohamed Jama Ismail

Ismail, an owner and operator of Empire Cuisine, was the first Feeding Our Future defendant to be sentenced. In October 2024, he received 12 years in federal prison (144 months) followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $47,920,514 in restitution.6United States Department of Justice. First Feeding Our Future Defendant Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Abdimajid Mohamed Nur

Nur was also part of the Empire Cuisine group. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison (120 months) followed by three years of supervised release, with the same $47,920,514 restitution order as his co-defendants.7United States Department of Justice. Feeding Our Future Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Nur later played a role in the juror bribery scheme described below.

Site Operators, Money Launderers, and Consultants

Beyond the central figures and Empire Cuisine, the remaining defendants generally fall into three groups.

  • Site operators. Individuals who opened fake or inflated meal sites, fabricated attendance rosters, and submitted false claims to Feeding Our Future. Some ran multiple sites at once, each claiming to serve thousands of children daily within days or weeks of opening.
  • Money launderers. Defendants such as Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff used entities like Afrique Hospitality Group to move stolen funds through layers of shell companies, obscuring who actually controlled the money. Some laundered proceeds internationally.
  • Consultants and Feeding Our Future employees. Staff including Ikram Yusuf Mohamed allegedly solicited kickbacks disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies they created, while helping set up new fraudulent sites to increase the volume of false claims.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dozens Charged in $250 Million COVID Fraud Scheme

Across these roles, defendants used the stolen money to buy residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky, along with overseas properties in Kenya and Turkey. Luxury vehicles and international travel were also common.3United States Department of Justice. Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

The Juror Bribery Defendants

A separate set of charges came out of an attempt to bribe a juror during the first Feeding Our Future trial in 2024. According to federal prosecutors, Said Farah and his brother Abdiaziz Farah gathered $200,000 in cash and gave it to Abdimajid Nur in a cardboard box. Nur researched the identity of Juror 52, and Ladan Ali was recruited to deliver the money. Ali followed the juror home and left a gift bag containing the cash, telling the juror more money would follow if she voted to acquit.8United States Department of Justice. Fifth Juror Bribery Defendant Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Bribe Feeding Our Future Juror

The scheme failed. Five defendants pleaded guilty. Abdulkarim Farah was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.9United States Department of Justice. Minneapolis Man Sentenced for Scheme to Bribe Feeding Our Future Juror

Sentences Handed Down So Far

Prison terms as of late 2025 track each defendant’s role and the dollar amounts they controlled.

Restitution has been enormous. The Empire Cuisine defendants alone were ordered to pay $47,920,514, and Aimee Bock faces a $5.2 million forfeiture order with additional restitution likely at sentencing. Much of the stolen money was spent on assets the government is working to seize and liquidate.

Where the Remaining Cases Stand

As of late 2025, 56 defendants had pleaded guilty, making this one of the highest plea rates in a federal fraud case of this size.10United States Department of Justice. 56th Defendant Pleads Guilty in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme Others were convicted at trial, including five defendants in the first trial in 2024 and Bock and Said in early 2025.

Additional trials were scheduled through the end of 2025 and into 2026. Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud, who maintained his innocence, was set for trial in October 2025. A group of defendants from the Jama family of Rochester was scheduled for trial in December 2025. At least two defendants tied to an entity called Evergreen Grocery were identified as fugitives. Sentencing for Bock and Said remained pending, and given the terms already handed down to less prominent defendants, legal observers expect both to face substantial prison time.