Abdiaziz Farah, one of the most prolific defendants in the $300 million pandemic fraud case known as “Feeding our Future,” on Wednesday received a 28-year prison sentence, the longest term handed down to anyone convicted in the case so far.
Farah claimed to serve 18 million meals to children and submitted $49 million in taxpayer reimbursement claims in the COVID-era scheme. Federal prosecutors say very little food was actually purchased with that money, and very few meals, if any, were served to children.
“Your goal was from the start to be a multimillionaire off the backs of taxpayers with money intended for children,” said U. S. District Court Judge Nancy Brasel, who opined that Farah was motivated by nothing but “pure unmitigated greed.”
The Judge noted the irony that so many of the opportunities in Farah’s life were delivered by government agencies and nonprofits. After getting his housing and college paid for, Farah worked for both MNDOT and the Met Council. Yet as soon as he saw a government program intended to help children, the judge said Farah saw an opportunity to make money.
“Your crime was breathtakingly elaborate,” Judge Brasel added.
A jury convicted Farah in June 2024 of 23 counts, including wire fraud conspiracy, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, multiple counts of money laundering, and multiple counts of wire fraud.
