# Federal Child Nutrition Program *Federal child nutrition funding administered in Minnesota through the Minnesota Department of Education; the subject of two at-issue items in the record.* The Federal Child Nutrition Program is the umbrella term the United States Department of Justice uses for the federal funding through which sponsoring organizations in [[Minnesota]] submitted claims to the [[Minnesota Department of Education]] (MDE). In its May 22, 2026 release on the sentencing of [[Aimee Bock]], the Department described [[Feeding Our Future]] as "a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program." It said the organization "submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)."[^1] Every dollar figure and count in this record comes from federal prosecutions. The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that one restaurant received more than $16 million in program funds.[^3] The Department of Justice counted more than 250 program sites across the state.[^1] It charged a 72nd defendant on June 6, 2025.[^4] A federal judge imposed sentences of 500 months on Bock[^1] and 54 months on [[Abdihakim Ali Ahmed]].[^2] The record contains no state audit or MDE statement on the program. ## Who - **Claims recipient.** Sponsors submitted their claims to MDE.[^1] - **Sponsor.** Feeding Our Future was a sponsor in the program. Bock, of [[Apple Valley]], was sentenced to 500 months on May 22, 2026.[^1] Judge Nancy Brasel told her at sentencing: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it."[^1] - **Site operators and co-defendants.** A co-defendant in the [[Safari Restaurant]] case, Abdi Nur Salah, was a former senior aide to [[Minneapolis]] Mayor Jacob Frey. He and a Safari Restaurant co-owner pleaded guilty, according to the January 28, 2025 release.[^3] - **Charging party.** The United States brought each prosecution in this record.[^1][^4][^5] ## What The Department of Justice uses the umbrella term "Federal Child Nutrition Program." Its sentencing release does not name a specific component program.[^1] ## When - **January 28, 2025.** The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced guilty pleas by the former mayoral aide and a Safari Restaurant co-owner.[^3] - **June 6, 2025.** Federal prosecutors charged [[Dorothy Jean Moore]] of Apple Valley as the 72nd defendant in the Feeding Our Future prosecutions.[^4] - **May 22, 2026.** Bock was sentenced to 500 months.[^1] - **July 16, 2026.** [[Abdikerm Eidleh]] of [[Burnsville]] was transferred from Somalia to Minnesota. He faces 31 charges, which the Department of Justice alleges relate to his role in Feeding Our Future. The charges are allegations and remain pending.[^5] - **August 26, 2026.** Ahmed, charged from an Apple Valley address, was sentenced to 54 months.[^2] ## Where The Department of Justice placed the sites at "more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota."[^1] The record lists defendant addresses in Apple Valley for Bock, Moore and Ahmed,[^1][^4][^2] and in Burnsville for Eidleh.[^5] ## How Sponsors submitted claims for program funds to MDE.[^1] Fox 9's sentencing report and the project's at-issue item give an account of Ahmed's operation. According to that account, Ahmed claimed to be serving 2,000 to 3,000 children a day within three weeks of opening. He reported more than 1.6 million meals in his first year.[^2] The record does not establish what verification, if any, MDE applied to those counts before payment. ## How much - **Safari Restaurant.** The restaurant "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office release of January 28, 2025.[^3] - **[[ASA Limited LLC]].** Ahmed's company drew roughly $5 million in program funds, and more than $2 million of it went to Ahmed personally. These figures are reported by Fox 9 and the project's at-issue item. A person should confirm them against the filed judgment.[^2] ## How many - **Sites.** More than 250 program sites operated across Minnesota, per the Department of Justice release of May 22, 2026.[^1] - **Defendants.** Moore was the 72nd defendant charged, as of June 6, 2025.[^4] - **Charges.** Eidleh faces 31 charges, as of July 16, 2026.[^5] - **Meals.** Ahmed reported more than 1.6 million meals in his first year, as reported in the sentencing coverage.[^2] ## In the at-issue record **Dakota package (AI-Dakota-044).** This item pairs two facts: Ahmed's 54-month sentence on August 26, 2026, and his self-reported counts of children and meals. The item treats the meal count as credited on the claimant's report.[^2] The pack's primary sources do not establish how the counts were checked. **Apex package (AI-006).** This item pairs Bock's 500-month sentence and the 250-plus sites with the identity of the initiating party, the United States.[^1] The project's at-issue item records that no prosecution of these matters by any Minnesota [[county attorney]] appears in the public record. That is the project's own catalogue finding. The pack's sources do not independently establish it. ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 Months* (May 22, 2026) — establishes Bock's sentence; describes Feeding Our Future as a sponsor that submitted claims to MDE; states the more than 250 sites; and quotes Judge Nancy Brasel. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months [^2]: Fox 9, *Feeding Our Future fraudster heading to prison for turning child nutrition funds into personal business* (Aug. 26, 2026) — reports Ahmed's 54-month sentence. https://www.fox9.com/news/feeding-our-future-fraudster-heading-prison-turning-child-nutrition-funds-personal-business [^3]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Former Minneapolis Mayoral Aide and Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Both Plead Guilty* (Jan. 28, 2025) — establishes the guilty pleas, the more than $16 million received by Safari Restaurant, and Abdi Nur Salah's former role as an aide to Mayor Jacob Frey. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/former-minneapolis-mayoral-aide-and-safari-restaurant-co-owner-both-plead-guilty-250 [^4]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Apple Valley Woman Charged for Participating in Feeding Our Future Fraud* (June 6, 2025) — establishes the charges against Dorothy Jean Moore as the 72nd defendant. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/apple-valley-woman-charged-participating-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Successful Transfer of Abdikerm Eidleh from Somalia to Minnesota to Face Charges for Role in Feeding Our Future* (July 16, 2026) — establishes the transfer and the 31 pending charges. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/successful-transfer-abdikerm-eidleh-somalia-minnesota-face-charges-role-feeding-our-future