Man pleads guilty to wire fraud charge in Feeding Our Future scheme
A man from Minneapolis pleaded guilty in federal court for his involvement in the Feeding Our Future scam that stole more than $250 million in government pandemic funds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, also known as Salah Donyale, 40, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud as part of a scam that defrauded the federal child nutrition program from April 2020 to Jan. 2022.
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Court documents show that Omar-Hashim/Donyale admitted to creating a company called Olive Management that reported feeding meals to 3,000 children a day in St. Cloud seven days a week.
The investigation revealed that Omar-Hashim/Donyale and others involved in the scheme claimed to serve 1.6 million meals to children at the Olive Management site. Omar-Hashim/Donyale’s part in this scam involved creating and submitting fake meal count sheets and invoices. This was supplemented by a fake attendance roster listing the names of 2,040 children who attended an “after-school program” at Olive Management’s site. Only 20 of the names matched the names of children attending schools in the St. Cloud Public School District, court documents say.
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Records show Omar-Hashim/Donyale and others involved in the scam stole $7,490,711 in Federal Nutrition Program reimbursements meant to fund meals for children at the Olive Management site.
His sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Federal guidelines for a single conviction of wire fraud convictions show sentences can reach a maximum of 20 years in prison or more if there are factors that enhance the judge’s decision.
CLICK HERE to find KSTP’s related coverage of the Feeding Our Future scam.