Friday January 24, 2025
Defendant Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff arrives at the Diana E. Murphy federal courthouse in Minneapolis on the 14th day of testimony in the Feeding Our Future trial Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (HOL) — Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, a central figure in the largest COVID-19 pandemic fraud scheme in U.S. history, was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison on Friday, one of the harshest sentences in the case so far. The $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud siphoned funds meant to feed underprivileged children, instead channelling them toward luxury cars, properties, and overseas investments.
After a seven-week trial in June 2024, held in U.S. District Court and presided over by Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Shariff was found guilty on four charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
“To know that my actions may have tarnished that image and even fueled negative perceptions of that very community is a heavy burden to bear,” Shariff said tearfully. His emotional apology, however, did little to sway U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel.”When the world was at its most vulnerable, you were not a helper; you were a thief,” Brasel stated, emphasizing Shariff’s “staggering lack of respect for the law.” The judge handed down the 210-month sentence, which includes three years of supervised release and restitution of a staggering $48 million.
Shariff’s supporters, more than 100 of whom packed the courtroom and overflow areas, reacted emotionally to the 210-month sentence. Some cried, while others expressed outrage. One man shouted, “No justice,” prompting the judge to call for order.
Prosecutors also accused him of obstructing justice by deleting the Signal app and recording witness testimony during his trial. His actions, including alleged awareness of jury tampering, were labelled by Judge Brasel as “unprecedented disrespect for the law.”
The fraud exploited changes in the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic, which temporarily relaxed oversight to ensure children had access to meals during school closures. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and distributed through the Minnesota Department of Education, reimbursed sponsoring organizations on a per-meal basis. Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that sponsored sites like Shariff’s, played a central role in facilitating the fraudulent claims in exchange for kickbacks.
Prosecutors allege that Shariff and his co-conspirators falsified meal counts, invoices, and attendance records to claim millions in reimbursements for meals that were never served. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick described the scheme as a “brazen theft” of taxpayer funds intended to feed children.
Shariff, 34, served as CEO of Afrique Hospitality Group, a company he used to funnel stolen funds from the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Prosecutors said Shariff pocketed more than $1.3 million, submitted false claims for feeding up to 3,500 children daily at nonexistent sites, and created shell companies to launder money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson described the scheme as “brazen,” stating, “Their scheme involved fake meals, fake kids, fake invoices—but very real money.”
Thompson also dismissed defense arguments that Shariff was a minor participant in the fraud. “He wasn’t being a community leader—he was lining his own pockets,” Thompson stated, pushing for the 22-year maximum sentence under federal guidelines.
The scandal, involving 70 defendants, has sent shockwaves through Minnesota. The fraud tarnished public trust and damaged the reputation of the Somali-American community. Community leaders expressed concern over how the case could exacerbate negative stereotypes.
