Ilhan Omar’s connections to a welfare fraud in her Minnesota district are drawing fresh scrutiny as new details come to light—and the story is only getting bigger.
Omar (D-Minn.) reportedly hosted gatherings at a restaurant later flagged as a core piece of the fraud case, had a personal connection to one of its owners—who has since been convicted—and even a member of her own staff was found guilty, too. In both cases, the charges involved the theft of millions in funds.
Ilhan Omar, a progressive member of The Squad, has remained noticeably quiet about the billion-dollar welfare fraud scandal that unfolded at the heart of her Minnesota district. Her silence has raised eyebrows—and questions—as the story continues to unravel. Facebook
FBI agents were seen raiding Feeding Our Future, a Twin Cities nonprofit that became a central figure in what authorities call the largest welfare fraud case in U.S. history—an investigation now tied to staggering losses in public funds. Star Tribune via Getty Images
Omar was one of the lawmakers who put forward legislation that later became linked to an estimated $250 million in fraudulent claims. What’s striking? She says she had absolutely no idea it was happening.
"[Rep. Omar] knew who these people were. People she personally knew were making tens of millions of dollars in this program," said Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the Minnesota-based Center of the American Experiment, speaking to FaqInsurances.
Many Minnesotans say Omar should have been aware of the massive fraud spreading through her close-knit Somali community. Alamy Stock Photo
Guhaad Hashi Said, who worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer” managing voter outreach within the Somali community, has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a fake food program that stole millions from taxpayers. Alamy Stock Photo
“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,” Glahn added.
Starting in 2020, the Minnesota government distributed roughly $250 million to provide meals for schoolchildren during the pandemic—funds that have since come under intense scrutiny.
Instead, the money ended up in the pockets of corrupt business owners, including Salim Ahmed Said, co-owner of Safari Restaurant—the very spot where Omar celebrated her 2018 congressional victory.
In August, Said was convicted of pocketing more than $12 million by claiming to provide 3.9 million “phantom” meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors say he squandered much of the money on a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and racked up a $9,000-a-month shopping spree at Nordstrom.
Guhaad Hashi Said and Omar were seen together at multiple events, raising questions about their close association.
Said operated a sham food program called Advance Youth Athletic Development, falsely claiming to serve 5,000 meals a day—and siphoning off $3.2 million from the government’s food funds.
According to prosecutorial documents, Omar has not been directly connected to the scandal. Her office did not respond to FaqInsurances’ request for comment.
The free meal program was funded through the 2020 MEALS Act, a bill introduced by Omar that sailed through Congress with bipartisan backing.
To date, nearly 80 people have been indicted in the sprawling $1 billion welfare fraud scheme, including Salim Ahmed Said.
The fraud network was concentrated in Omar’s 5th Congressional District, home to 60 of the 79 individuals indicted. Yet Omar has largely stayed silent as the scandal continues to make headlines nationwide. Sherburne County Jail
The bulk of the Minneapolis funds flowed through the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
The program let both nonprofits and for-profit businesses claim taxpayer dollars for feeding kids by sharply reducing oversight—skipping site inspections, allowing bulk take-home meals, and verifying almost nothing.
In 2020, while the scam was unfolding, Omar appeared on video at Minneapolis’ Safari Restaurant, publicly praising the program.
The offices of Feeding Our Future in St. Anthony, Minnesota, displayed signs warning of a “Coronavirus Alert” and stating “No Walk-ins.” AP
The congresswoman later 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.”
Her spokesperson added that she had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.
In 2021, after Minnesota’s Department of Education flagged the organization for irregularities and “serious deficiencies,” including incomplete audits, a top aide to Omar—deputy district director Ali Isse—rushed to their defense in a newly resurfaced video.
He spoke at a gala lauding the “vital work” of Feeding Our Families while criticizing state agencies for asking too many questions.
Minneapolis’ Safari Restaurant—the site of Omar’s 2018 congressional victory party—served as a central hub in the state’s massive $1 billion welfare fraud scheme. Star Tribune via Getty Images
The Somali fraudsters even tried to bribe jurors, leaving bundles of cash at one juror’s home. AP
"I’m tired of the MDE thing. How many more do we have to fight against?" said Omar’s top associate—who has not been indicted or directly connected to the fraud—during the impassioned speech.
He also attributed the unwanted scrutiny from authorities to racism and urged the “community” to stick together. Isse did not immediately respond to FaqInsurances’ request for comment.
Whistleblowers say that fear of being labeled racist initially made government officials hesitant to fully prosecute the scheme.
On Monday, a U.S. House committee and the Treasury Department opened investigations into whether Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had any involvement in the scheme. AP
Aimee Bock, one of the 79 individuals indicted, served as executive director of Feeding Our Future, the nonprofit at the heart of the phantom food scheme. AP
"When you raise your hand and call this into question, you get handed the racism card," David Gaither, a former Minnesota legislator who ran an adult education center in Minneapolis for Somali immigrants for 13 years, told FaqInsurances.
“You’re shamed and put into a corner, especially if you’re some mid-level bureaucrat. You’re told to take some remedial training and look the other way.”
Another Omar campaign official, Democratic activist Guhaad Hashi Said, pleaded guilty in August to running a sham food program called Advance Youth Athletic Development. He falsely claimed to serve 5,000 meals a day and siphoned $3.2 million from the program.
According to local outlet Alphanews.org, Said worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer,” overseeing aggressive voter mobilization within the Somali community.
Somali immigrant Mukhtar Shariff is among the 78 people convicted so far, facing four to six counts in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
Somali immigrant Hayat Nur was convicted on three to five counts in the Feeding Our Future trial.
Omar and Said often appeared at events together. Several Facebook photos, seemingly shared by Said, show him alongside Omar—including a smiling selfie of the two.
"This is a clan-based society, everybody knows everybody else and it’s only open to those folks in that clan," Gaither said of the Somali immigrant community.
Some of the individuals who received money from the charity scam were also donors to Omar’s campaign.
She received $7,400 in direct contributions from individuals who were later convicted of fraud. After the scandal came to light in 2022, Omar returned the donations.
Omar accepted $7,400 in donations from three individuals later accused of fraud. Her campaign says the funds were returned after the indictments were announced. Getty Images
So far, a total of 78 people have been indicted in the fraud, which also involved false claims for providing shelter to the homeless and diagnosing non-autistic children as autistic to collect government funds for their care.
As the full scope of the fraud comes to light, the state’s top officials are facing scrutiny for failing to catch it sooner.
On Monday, a U.S. House committee and the Treasury Department opened investigations into whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz played any role in overseeing the scheme—one that many say could have been stopped much earlier.
Walz said he “welcomes” the fraud investigation but declined to comment on why his name is included.
“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,” added Gaither.
