US Democratic House Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks to supporters after announcing her victory in the Minnesota Democratic Primary election at Nighthawks in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US August 13, 2024. © REUTERS/Ben Brewer
(Minneapolis, MN) – It’s a sickening case of alleged fraud that’s been uncovered in the Minnesota district where Congresswoman Ilhan Omar serves as representative. And there are some connections between her and the business owner who faces charges — which are leading to more questions.
This is a $1 billion welfare scam, with $250 million in funds that were supposed to be used to feed needy schoolchildren — and instead ended up in the pockets of greedy business owners. The scheme allegedly took advantage of the since canceled Feeding Our Future — a nonprofit. Introduced by Rep. Omar (a Democrat) in 2020, the MEALS Act paved they way for the program. It passed with bi-partisan support. Oversight was relaxed as a result, with site inspections waived, bulk take-home food permitted, and verification relaxed — for both nonprofits and for-profit businesses.
Salim Ahmed Said has been convicted in this case. Fascinatingly, Omar held her 2018 congressional victory at am eatery — Safari Restaurant — that was co-owned by Said. In August he was convicted of stealing more than $12 million by claiming so-called “phantom meals” — which were never actually made or fed to the needy. He claimed 3.9 million of these fake meals, according to court documents, leading to $2 million he spend on a Minneapolis mansion, and shopping sprees at Nordstrom to the tune of $9,000 per month.
As the scam was unfolding back in 2020, Omar was spotted on video at Safari Restaurant, offering praise of the program that was abused. At one point she told KARE 11 News: “The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by Feeding Our Future is reprehensible. Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable.” And a spokesperson says Omar denies she had any knowledge of the wrongdoing.
But there have been instances where Omar’s staff publicly defended the program, even amid the inquiry. It was in 2021 when Minnesota’s Department of Education drew attention to “Feeding out Future” and noted irregularities, serious deficiencies, and incomplete audits. At a gala, Omar’s deputy district director Ali Isse defended the group, praising its “vital work.” He also offered up criticisms of state agencies, saying: “I’m tired of the MDE thing. How many more do we have to fight against?” He also blamed any scrutiny of the program on racism, urging community unity. Isse was never indicted or accused of wrongdoing.
The unfortunate connections for Rep. Omar run depeer. Campaign official Guhaad Hashi Said was convicted of fraud. He pleaded guilty to running a fake food site called Advance Youth Athletic Development. In that case, 5,000 daily meals were falsely claimed. Said allegedly pocketed $3.2 million. He and Rep. Omar routinely attended events together — with photo evidence including a smiling selfie of the pair.
After the 2022 scandal was uncovered, Omar returned $7,400 in donations from now-convicted fraudsters. Bill Glahn, a whistleblower with the Center of the American Experiment, shared his insights with the New York Post: “[Rep. Omar] knew who these people were. People she personally knew were making tens of millions of dollars in this program… She had been inside the [Safari] facility on numerous occasions and couldn’t put 2 and 2 together? Either she’s terminally naive, or knew and didn’t care.”
David Gaither, also a whistleblower and former Minnesota legislator, offered: “When you raise your hand and call this into question, you get handed the racism card. He argued some of these problems are especially prominent in the Somali community. Gaither also stated: “The [Somali community] have a distrust of norms in our society, like ‘Minnesota nice.’ They’re conditioned to ripping off the government because that’s what goes on in Somalia.”
Now, as of this week, investigators are looking into potential oversight failures committed by Democratic Governor Tim Walz. The governor welcomed the investigation but did not address what his role could have been. The entire fraud inquiry has resulted in 78 people indicted for fraud. There’s been claims made of bogus shelter claims and faked autism diagnoses for children. Omar has never been linked directly.
