A Rochester man has admitted guilt in connection with a fraud scheme that exploited a federal child nutrition program for $250 million, using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover to systematically defraud the government. Sharmake Jama, 37, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

The fraudulent activity began in late 2020, and continued through 2021, with fake claims of serving 2,000 to 3,000 daily meals leading to Brava Restaurant directly receiving $4.3 million, including an additional $900,000 through Safari Restaurant, co-owned by Salim Said, also implicated in the case. Court documents indicated that Jama employed shell companies to manage the flow of the illicit funds, an example being Mumu LLC, which Jama used to deposit almost $872,230 of the defrauded money, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota.

Lavish personal expenditures were made using the stolen funds, including at least $88,000 for a high-end GMC Sierra and over half a million dollars on properties in Rochester and Rosemount, Minnesota. The Justice Department has made clear that the guilty plea entered by Jama is a testament to the coordinated efforts of federal agencies like the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to unravel and prosecute the complex fraud scheme.

The fallout from Jama’s admissions is yet unfolding, with the anticipated scheduling of his sentencing hearing. The prosecuting team—Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs—are continuing their work on the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune focusing on asset seizure and forfeiture.