# Safari Restaurant *Minneapolis restaurant that a federal prosecutors' release says received more than $16 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds in the Feeding Our Future case.* Safari Restaurant is a restaurant in [[Minneapolis]]. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota says it "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds" as a site in the [[Feeding Our Future]] case.[^1] On January 28, 2025, its co-owner pleaded guilty. On the same day, Abdi Nur Salah, a former senior aide to [[Minneapolis mayor]] Jacob Frey, also pleaded guilty.[^1] The project's source dossier cites the same release and describes Safari Restaurant as the largest single identified site in the case.[^1] According to the [[United States Department of Justice]], Feeding Our Future was "a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program." DOJ says the organization opened "more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota."[^2] DOJ also says Feeding Our Future "submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)."[^2] A House Oversight staff report describes self-attestation as the [[Minnesota Department of Education]]'s method of verifying meal claims. The same report describes a Safari Restaurant site that claimed 5,000 meals a week.[^3] The record shows the amounts, the pleas and the verification method described in these sources. It does not establish why any official acted as they did.[^1][^3] ## Who - Safari Restaurant's co-owner pleaded guilty on January 28, 2025. The pack does not name the co-owner.[^1] - Abdi Nur Salah pleaded guilty on the same day. The U.S. Attorney's Office identifies him as a co-defendant and a former senior aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.[^1] - The United States Attorney prosecuted the Feeding Our Future case in the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]].[^2] ## What Safari Restaurant was a site in the Feeding Our Future case.[^1] DOJ describes the funds only by the umbrella term [[Federal Child Nutrition Program]].[^2] The Minnesota [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)|Office of the Legislative Auditor]] names the two programs involved in the case. They are the [[Child and Adult Care Food Program]] (CACFP) and the [[Summer Food Service Program]] (SFSP). The auditor states that "The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is responsible for administering these programs in Minnesota."[^4] The pack does not say which of the two programs Safari Restaurant's claims fell under. ## When - **June 2024**: The Legislative Auditor published its special review, *Minnesota Department of Education: Oversight of Feeding Our Future*.[^4] - **January 28, 2025**: Safari Restaurant's co-owner and Abdi Nur Salah both pleaded guilty.[^1] - **May 22, 2026**: Feeding Our Future's [[Aimee Bock]] was sentenced to 500 months. At sentencing, [[Judge Nancy Brasel]] said: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it."[^2] - **June 2026**: The House Oversight staff report described self-attestation as MDE's meal-claim verification method and cited the Safari Restaurant 5,000-meal claim.[^3] ## Where Safari Restaurant is in Minneapolis, in Hennepin County.[^1] The federal case was brought in the District of Minnesota at Minneapolis.[^2] ## How The House Oversight staff report sets out the following: - MDE verified meal claims by self-attestation, so sites reported their own meal counts. - A Safari Restaurant site claimed 5,000 meals a week, and that claim was credited. - The report compares the 5,000-meal volume to the meal service of the entire [[St. Paul Public School District]].[^3] The Legislative Auditor reached a related finding two years earlier. It found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^4] ## How much - Safari Restaurant "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.[^1] ## How many **Meals and sites** - One Safari Restaurant site claimed 5,000 meals a week, according to the House Oversight staff report.[^3] - DOJ describes more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites in the Feeding Our Future case statewide.[^2] **Defendants charged** - DOJ counted 75 defendants charged as of September 4, 2025.[^5] - The Sahan Journal charging tracker reported "Eighty people have been charged" as of July 28, 2026.[^6] - Tracker counts differ from one another; figures of 70, 75, 79 and 80 appear across sources.[^5][^6] **Convictions** - The Sahan Journal guilty-plea tracker reported 68 convictions as of August 19, 2026: 61 guilty pleas and 7 jury convictions.[^7] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue record carries two pairs on Safari Restaurant. **Pair AI-Anoka-006** concerns the 5,000-meal weekly claim. It covers the self-attestation method under which the claim was credited, as described in the House Oversight staff report.[^3] The pair's anchor is the White House presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025).[^8] **Pair AI-Hennepin-007** concerns the $16 million figure and the two guilty pleas entered on January 28, 2025: one by the restaurant's co-owner, the other by a former senior aide to the Minneapolis mayor.[^1] The pair's anchor is the White House presidential action *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (March 2026).[^9] The record also carries this pair as [[At issue 007 - The largest single identified Feeding Our Future site]]. ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Former Minneapolis Mayoral Aide and Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Both Plead Guilty* (Jan. 28, 2025) — establishes that Safari Restaurant "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds," that its co-owner and co-defendant Abdi Nur Salah both pleaded guilty, and that Salah was a former senior aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/former-minneapolis-mayoral-aide-and-safari-restaurant-co-owner-both-plead-guilty-250 [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 Months* (May 22, 2026) — establishes Feeding Our Future's sponsor role, its claims to MDE, the more than 250 sites, the federal prosecution in the District of Minnesota, Aimee Bock's 500-month sentence, and Judge Nancy Brasel's statement. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months [^3]: U.S. House Committee on Oversight, *MN Fraud Final Staff Report*, pp. 48–50 (June 2026) — establishes self-attestation as MDE's meal-claim verification method and the Safari Restaurant site claiming 5,000 meals a week. https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MN-Fraud-Final-Staff-Report.pdf [^4]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Minnesota Department of Education: Oversight of Feeding Our Future*, Special Review (June 2024) — names CACFP and SFSP, states that MDE administers them in Minnesota, and finds that MDE failed to act on warning signs known before the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/2024-mdefof.pdf [^5]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *75th Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme* (Sept. 4, 2025) — establishes DOJ's count of 75 defendants charged as of that date. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/75th-defendant-charged-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme [^6]: Sahan Journal, *Feeding Our Future charging tracker* (updated July 28, 2026) — reports "Eighty people have been charged." https://sahanjournal.com/news/feeding-our-future-indictments-who-charged-food-fraud-minnesota/ [^7]: Sahan Journal, *Feeding Our Future guilty-plea tracker* (Aug. 19, 2026) — reports 68 convictions: 61 guilty pleas and 7 jury convictions. https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/feeding-our-future-food-aid-fraud-investigation-guilty-pleas/ [^8]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the presidential action cited as anchor for pair AI-Anoka-006. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^9]: The White House, *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (March 2026) — the presidential action cited as anchor for pair AI-Hennepin-007. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/establishing-the-task-force-to-eliminate-fraud/