Somali man gets 28 years in $300M US pandemic fraud

[Deeq A.]

MINNEAPOLIS, United States – A Minnesota man was sentenced Wednesday to 28 years in federal prison for his central role in what prosecutors have called the largest COVID-19 pandemic fraud scheme in the United States, a “breathtakingly elaborate” plot that siphoned over $47 million intended to feed needy children.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, was a principal architect of the fraud, which exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the global health crisis. He and his co-conspirators falsely claimed to have served more than 18 million meals from shell locations to embezzle taxpayer funds.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel ordered Farah to pay $47.9 million in restitution. The sentencing comes after a seven-week trial where a jury convicted Farah on multiple counts, including wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering.

“You achieved successes here in the United States and yet you’ve shown utter and flagrant disregard for the laws of the United States,” Judge Brasel told Farah during sentencing, describing his actions as motivated by “pure unmitigated greed.”

Phony rosters and bribes

The case is part of the sprawling “Feeding Our Future” investigation, named after the Minnesota-based non-profit that prosecutors say oversaw a massive $300 million fraud. The U.S. government dramatically eased rules for its Federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic to ensure children would not go hungry, a change that Farah and others ruthlessly exploited.

Beginning in April 2020, Farah enrolled his company, Empire Cuisine & Market, as a food distribution site. He quickly established more than 30 purported distribution centers, many of which were merely vacant lots or empty offices where no food was ever served.

To support their fraudulent claims, Farah and his associates submitted falsified invoices and meal count sheets. They also created rosters of fictitious children, using absurd and fake names such as “Serious Problem” and “Britishy Melony,” according to court documents.

To ensure the scheme continued uninterrupted, Farah paid thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to employees at the sponsoring organizations, Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition.

Farah personally pocketed over $8 million from the scheme in just 18 months, which he used to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Prosecutors presented evidence of text messages where he boasted to a co-defendant, “In 7 months, if things stay the same, you are a multi-millionaire with 0 debt.”

He purchased a fleet of luxury vehicles, including a Porsche, a Tesla, and a GMC truck valued at over $300,000. He also laundered approximately $4.2 million through real estate purchases in Minnesota and Kentucky, including two lakefront lots where he planned to build a custom home.

The stolen funds were also moved overseas. Farah bought property in Kenya, including a high-rise apartment building in Nairobi, and laundered money through entities in China. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, these international assets are beyond the reach of American law enforcement.

‘Feeding Our Future’ scandal

The fraud orchestrated by Farah was part of a much larger conspiracy centered around the non-profit Feeding Our Future, which was supposed to act as a sponsor and administrator for the federal food program. Instead, it became the hub of a network that embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged over 70 individuals in connection with the scandal, making it the largest prosecution of pandemic-related fraud in the country. The case has deeply impacted Minnesota’s Somali-American community, from which many of the defendants and their victims were drawn.

“The repercussions of your crime will be felt in Minnesota and your community—the refugee community—for a long time,” Judge Brasel noted.

Farah’s criminal activity did not end with the fraud. After federal agents seized his passport during a raid in January 2022, he falsely claimed it was lost to obtain a new one. Less than two weeks later, he was arrested while attempting to board a one-way flight to Kenya.

In a stunning development during his trial in June 2024, Farah and four others were charged in a separate case for attempting to bribe a juror with a bag containing $120,000 in cash in exchange for a not-guilty verdict. Farah has since pleaded guilty to the bribery charge and will be sentenced for that crime at a later date.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson argued that Farah betrayed the nation that had offered him refuge and opportunity. “This country gave Farah everything… a free college education,” Thompson said. “And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. called the crime “a betrayal of societal trust,” vowing that law enforcement would remain “unyielding” in holding accountable “those who prey on the most defenseless in our communities.”