Refugee awarded by Tim Walz pleads guilty to role in giant COVID-related fraud scheme
A refugee in Minnesota who once received an award from the Walz administration has pled guilty for participating in the largest known COVID-related scam in America.On Friday, 43-year-old Ayan Farah Abukar, who lives just outside Minneapolis in Savage, Minnesota, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the Feeding Our Future case.Following the COVID pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Education began allocating federal resources from the Federal Child Nutrition Program to the organizations Feeding Our Future and Partners in Quality Care, with the expectation that the organizations would use the money to help Minnesota children in need, the Sahan Journal explained.Abukar became involved through the organization she founded, Action for East African People. As executive director, Abukar partnered Action for East African People with Feeding Our Future and another group identified only as Sponsor A in the DOJ press release.'Here is Tim Walz & Ayan Abukar (Defendant #58) the architect of a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded program for hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic.'Unfortunately, Abukar and her fellow co-defendants apparently did not follow the federal directives regarding the money. "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 enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds," the press release said.According to the press release, Abukar spent two years boasting that she was feeding a total of 5,000 children a day in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Savage, and St. Paul, when in fact she was pocketing $5.7 million in misappropriated funds from the Child Nutrition Program and in turn paying a program employee $330,000 in kickbacks. She then used the money to splurge on luxury items like a 37-acre property in Minnesota and an aircraft in Kenya.According to the Sahan Journal, Abukar is one of 70 defendants associated with the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme. Her sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled.Abukar and her work with Action for East African People have been well known among state leaders for years. In July 2021, Abukar even received an award at a ceremony for "outstanding refugees" held by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.The department claimed that Abukar and Action for East African People worked "to eliminate barriers to health care, employment, food, and housing for the East African community."Mshale, an outlet based in Minneapolis and dedicated to the "African community," offered several photographs from the award ceremony, including one featuring failed vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Abukar. The Facebook page for Action for East African People, which no longer appears to be active, claimed that Abukar received an award for "her contributions to our state in entrepreneurship," according to a screenshot.House Agriculture Committee Republicans likewise shared an apparent screenshot of Abukar posing alongside Walz. "Here is Tim Walz & Ayan Abukar (Defendant #58) the architect of a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded program for hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic," the message attending the photo read.The committee claimed to have subpoenaed Walz, the state Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "demanding answers" regarding Abukar.Gov. Walz's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A refugee in Minnesota who once received an award from the Walz administration has pled guilty for participating in the largest known COVID-related scam in America.
On Friday, 43-year-old Ayan Farah Abukar, who lives just outside Minneapolis in Savage, Minnesota, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the Feeding Our Future case.
Following the COVID pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Education began allocating federal resources from the Federal Child Nutrition Program to the organizations Feeding Our Future and Partners in Quality Care, with the expectation that the organizations would use the money to help Minnesota children in need, the Sahan Journal explained.
Abukar became involved through the organization she founded, Action for East African People. As executive director, Abukar partnered Action for East African People with Feeding Our Future and another group identified only as Sponsor A in the DOJ press release.
'Here is Tim Walz & Ayan Abukar (Defendant #58) the architect of a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded program for hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic.'
Unfortunately, Abukar and her fellow co-defendants apparently did not follow the federal directives regarding the money. "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 enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds," the press release said.
According to the press release, Abukar spent two years boasting that she was feeding a total of 5,000 children a day in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Savage, and St. Paul, when in fact she was pocketing $5.7 million in misappropriated funds from the Child Nutrition Program and in turn paying a program employee $330,000 in kickbacks. She then used the money to splurge on luxury items like a 37-acre property in Minnesota and an aircraft in Kenya.
According to the Sahan Journal, Abukar is one of 70 defendants associated with the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme. Her sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled.
Abukar and her work with Action for East African People have been well known among state leaders for years. In July 2021, Abukar even received an award at a ceremony for "outstanding refugees" held by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
The department claimed that Abukar and Action for East African People worked "to eliminate barriers to health care, employment, food, and housing for the East African community."
Mshale, an outlet based in Minneapolis and dedicated to the "African community," offered several photographs from the award ceremony, including one featuring failed vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Abukar. The Facebook page for Action for East African People, which no longer appears to be active, claimed that Abukar received an award for "her contributions to our state in entrepreneurship," according to a screenshot.
House Agriculture Committee Republicans likewise shared an apparent screenshot of Abukar posing alongside Walz. "Here is Tim Walz & Ayan Abukar (Defendant #58) the architect of a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded program for hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic," the message attending the photo read.
The committee claimed to have subpoenaed Walz, the state Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "demanding answers" regarding Abukar.
Gov. Walz's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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