Somali Minnesota fraudster is jailed for 30 years for scamming $44m from taxpayers
Salim Said, a central figure in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for defrauding taxpayers of $44 million. Prosecutors said he falsely claimed to provide meals to hungry children through COVID-19 programmes, while using the proceeds to support an expensive lifestyle.
Court filings said Said claimed to distribute 6,000 meals a day, although FBI surveillance recorded about 40 people collecting food daily. Prosecutors said he filed thousands of false reimbursement claims over 21 months, listing fictitious children; his purchases included a $1.2 million home and an $87,000 pick-up truck. The wider scheme allegedly diverted $250 million in federal child nutrition funds, and co-defendant Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison in May.
In short
- Salim Said received a 30-year prison sentence.
- Prosecutors said he fraudulently claimed $44 million.
- The wider scheme diverted $250 million in federal funds.
Explained simply
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US expanded child nutrition programmes to help feed children when schools were closed. The federal government reimbursed organisations for meals they said they had served, with funds administered in Minnesota through state agencies.
Feeding Our Future was a Minnesota non-profit that sponsored meal sites, including some run by other organisations. Prosecutors said people involved in the scheme submitted false claims for meals that were never provided, diverting public money; the case involved many defendants, including the non-profit’s founder, Aimee Bock.
The case concerns how public funds intended for children were overseen and whether controls were adequate during an emergency programme. Its scale has drawn attention to the balance between getting aid out quickly and checking that it reaches the people it is meant to serve.