The Audit Bombshell: How One Somalian Restaurant Bilked Taxpayers for $12 Million in Child Meal Payments
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Minneapolis MN, a shocking federal investigation into massive fraud within Minnesota’s child meal program has exposed a breathtaking lack of oversight, particularly within the state’s Department of Education (MDE). The focus has landed heavily on a Minneapolis Somalian restaurant, which allegedly funneled nearly $12 million in federal funds by fabricating feeding thousands of children a day.
This case is a stark example of the multi-million dollar fraud scheme that has rocked the state, raising serious questions about accountability, particularly regarding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s administration.
The Scam: 40 People vs. 6,000 Meals Per Day
The fraudulent activity centered around sites participating in federal child meal payment programs, often through the non-profit Feeding Our Future.
The FBI’s surveillance of one primary location, Safari Restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis, revealed the shocking disparity between the claims and reality:
- Claimed Meals: Safari Restaurant submitted invoices claiming to feed an astonishing 4,000 to 6,000 children every day.
- FBI Reality: Over a six-week surveillance period, an FBI agent testified that an average of only 40 people came and went from the facility daily.
The same pattern was discovered at another site—a St. Paul deli registered by defendant Salim Sayyed—which claimed 1,800 meals per day but averaged only 23 visitors.
The Evidence: Fake Names and Rubber-Stamped Paperwork
The prosecution presented overwhelming evidence to the jury, exposing the meticulous fabrication behind the massive fraud:
- Fake Roster Generation: Emails and files seized from the non-profit’s headquarters revealed links to websites that randomly generated names and ages to create fictitious rosters of children who had supposedly been served meals.
- Inflated Invoices: Dozens of inflated invoices and impossible meal counts were submitted to the state for reimbursement.
The Kicker: State Oversight Failed
Perhaps the most damning revelation involves the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Despite glaring, obvious red flags—including impossible meal counts and massive spikes in reimbursement requests over a very short period—the MDE allegedly “rubber-stamped the paperwork.”
This catastrophic failure of oversight is now highlighted in a new audit that confirms years of warnings from critics: incompetence starts at the top.
The scandal has critics pointing fingers directly at Governor Tim Walz’s office, questioning how such systemic sloppiness and lack of accountability could persist within his agencies, especially when the MDE had direct knowledge of the impossible meal counts.
The case continues to be a central talking point regarding accountability, non-existent oversight, and the urgent need to reform how federal funds are tracked and distributed in Minnesota.
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Follow the money
They set up these programs and expect something different?
” incompetence starts at the top”
There are no such things as loopholes. They are put in bills on purpose.
The only incompetence is that they were not creative enough to hide the fraud.
The folks who set up these programs (with names that make them too “nice” to criticize) should not be called legislators, but should be called what they are.
FRAUD FACILITATORS
Your next Paulie !
Can’t hide anymore!
Yes. Where is the 4 million given to Stacey antine and Healthbarn?
When are the new jersey AG and the Gorvornor Elect going to investigate the 4M EDA grant that was given to Paul Vagiano’s restaurants – the money was funneled through Healthbarn foundation – and no one has any track of where was the meal delivered?
Matt Platkin
Mikie Sherrill
never
Why?
That’s 4 million dollars of NJ tax dollars given to one business. Healthbarn No answers?
Ramon Hache was part of this too. Maybe he can help answer some questions