Minnesota State Wire

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for his involvement in a $300 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, who also ordered Farah to pay restitution of nearly $48 million.

Farah led the Feeding Our Future case, which authorities have called the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the United States. Prosecutors said Farah and his co-defendants falsely claimed to have served 18 million meals to children at over 30 food distribution sites, stealing more than $47 million in program funds. In June 2024, after a seven-week trial before Judge Brasel, a federal jury convicted Farah on multiple charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Farah co-owned Empire Cuisine & Market and enrolled it in the Federal Child Nutrition Program in April 2020. He quickly opened several fraudulent program sites and began submitting false claims for thousands of meals supposedly served daily. Many of these sites were found to be parking lots or vacant spaces with no actual meal service.

According to court documents, Farah and his associates created fake rosters with fabricated children's names—some obviously fictitious—to support their fraudulent claims. He also managed the distribution of stolen funds among co-conspirators through bribes and kickbacks involving Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition.

Over an 18-month period, Farah personally gained more than $8 million from the scheme. Evidence presented at trial included text messages between Farah and his co-defendants discussing their financial gains.

Prosecutors detailed how Farah used taxpayer money intended for children’s meals to purchase luxury vehicles such as a Porsche, GMC truck, and Tesla. He spent about $4.2 million on real estate across Minnesota and Kentucky—including lakefront lots—and invested stolen funds overseas in Kenya, buying property including a high-rise apartment building in Nairobi. Some of these assets are beyond U.S. law enforcement’s reach due to being located abroad.

In January 2022, following federal searches related to Feeding Our Future, agents seized Farah’s passport from his home. Despite knowing he was under investigation, he later applied for a new passport using false information and attempted to flee the country by purchasing a one-way ticket to Kenya before being apprehended by law enforcement.

After his conviction in June 2024, prosecutors say Farah participated in an attempt to bribe a juror with $120,000 cash for a not guilty verdict; he pleaded guilty in this separate case and is awaiting sentencing on those charges.

Judge Brasel commented during sentencing: “Given that background, it is ironic at best that, as the government aimed no child went hungry during the pandemic, you saw the opportunity to fraudulently make money.” She added: “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 further described Farah’s crime as “breathtakingly elaborate” motivated by “pure unmitigated greed,” noting its long-lasting impact on both Minnesota and local refugee communities.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson argued for a lengthy sentence stating: “This country gave Farah everything...And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind...He has done untold damage to this state.”

Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr., FBI Minneapolis said: “Abdiaziz Shafii Farah’s conviction serves as a stark reminder of the moral decay that can arise when individuals exploit systems designed to protect the most vulnerable among us...Today’s sentence not only underscores the legal repercussions of such greed but also sends a resounding message: Justice will not only be swift but also unyielding.”

The investigation was conducted by agencies including FBI Minneapolis https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/minneapolis/news/press-releases/fbi-minneapolis-statement-on-the-feeding-our-future-investigation , IRS Criminal Investigations https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/additional-defendants-charged-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme , and U.S. Postal Inspection Service https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/mail-fraud . The prosecution team included Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, Daniel W. Bobier; asset forfeiture efforts are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune.