Years before Minnesota welfare fraud captured the nation’s attention, a Somali-American leader of one massive scheme expanded his assets beyond the North Star State, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen, used some of his ill-gotten gains to buy property throughout the Twin Cities and Kentucky before the DOJ prosecuted him for using the nonprofit Feeding Our Future to defraud the government of $300 million in COVID-19 relief meant for hungry children, leading to a 28-year prison sentence in August. There are at least 1,687 people of Somali descent living in Kentucky.
“While Minnesota burns through billions in Somali-linked welfare fraud (Feeding Our Future, Medicaid scams, etc.), guess where some of that stolen money went? Real estate in Kentucky,” local conservative radio host Andrew Cooperrider said on X Tuesday about the forgotten detail.
“Was he going to target Kentucky next?” Cooperrider said. “Time to audit our own programs before it’s too late.”
President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that it is freezing childcare payments to Minnesota due to fraud allegations. Prosecutors have charged 78 defendants, including 72 of Somali background, in Farah’s Feeding Our Future scheme, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday. Fifty-seven have been convicted.
“Using the taxpayer money meant for needy kids, Farah purchased five luxury vehicles for himself in about six months, including over $300,000 for a Porsche, a GMC truck, and a Tesla,” the DOJ said when announcing his August sentence. He was convicted in June 2024 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, false statements in a passport application, conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of federal programs bribery, six counts of wire fraud, and 11 counts of money laundering.
Whistleblowers within the medical field in Maine and Ohio have also come forward with allegations of fraud by Somali-led health providers.
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