A Minnesota man received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for his role in a massive fraud scheme that diverted over $250 million in federal child nutrition funds meant to feed hungry children during the pandemic into the pockets of criminals instead.
Shell Company Funneled Millions From Children’s Programs
Ahmed and his accomplices established ASA Limited LLC, a shell corporation designed to receive Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The operation fraudulently obtained approximately $5 million intended for needy children. Ahmed personally pocketed more than $2 million from the scheme, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline described as an “extraordinary amount of money” stolen from programs designed to help vulnerable youth during a global health crisis.
Operating from Gurey Deli, a small market in a Maplewood strip mall, Ahmed submitted his application alongside Aimee Bock, the ringleader who served as Feeding Our Future’s executive director at the time. The scheme represented one case among many defendants initially indicted in the massive conspiracy that robbed taxpayers and hungry children alike.
Fabricated Records Claimed Thousands of Daily Meals
Within three weeks of creating the fraudulent meal site, Ahmed and his co-conspirators claimed they were serving 2,000 to 3,000 children daily, seven days per week. During the first year alone, they reported distributing more than 1.6 million meals through falsified meal counts, attendance rosters, and invoices. Federal prosecutors discovered the attendance spreadsheets for an alleged after-school program contained formulas that automatically inserted random numbers between 7 and 17 in age columns for fictitious children on the lists.
Judge Condemns Pandemic Profiteering
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Brasel delivered pointed remarks during sentencing, telling Ahmed: “This was a global pandemic. Instead of helping, you did the opposite of helping and you stole.” Ahmed, who previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, apologized in court, calling his actions “a terrible moment in my life” and expressing he was “extremely sorry” for stealing from hungry children.
Federal prosecutors had requested a 57-month sentence at the upper end of sentencing guidelines. Ahmed must report to prison on October 6 at noon. Judge Brasel recommended he serve his time at a minimum-security facility in Minnesota. The sentencing represents continued accountability for participants in the Feeding Our Future fraud, one of the largest pandemic relief fraud cases prosecuted by federal authorities.