New indictment in the Feeding our Future fraud scheme
New indictment in the Feeding our Future fraud scheme 01:49
Another person has been charged in federal court tied to the largest pandemic fraud scheme in the country.
In an FBI agent's 23-page affidavit, investigators say Hibo Daar used a Gmail account to carry out wire fraud in submitting falsified business records to Feeding Our Future.
Prosecutors say because there were no Google servers in Minnesota, that means the fraud traveled across state lines. They also found evidence of outlandish numbers on their invoices.
According to court documents, Daar's food site, Northside Wellness Center, claimed to serve 52,000 meals in the month of January 2021.
Prosecutors say by April that same year, they claimed to serve 40,000 meals every week. Another vendor invoice submitted by Northside Wellness claimed they bought 3,000 gallons of milk in a single month.
Last week, there was another raid at New Vision Foundation. Court documents say the nonprofit claimed to serve thousands of meals to children daily in St. Paul and Waite Park.
Neighboring business owners told investigators they didn't see kids at the locations.
There are no charges tied to that Saint Paul raid at this time.
44 defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted in the Justice Department's Feeding Our Future investigation, which includes Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock.
Bock's appeal remains ongoing.
In all, the scheme diverted $250 million in federal funds during a time when the rules were relaxed in order to keep the U.S. economy running.
Frankie McLister
Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.