ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office is shutting down 23 nonprofits in the state that were defrauding the Federal Child Nutrition Program.

Ellison alleged that the groups were created or revived around the start of the pandemic – many giving false addresses, not complying with federal reporting requirements, and not appearing to have legitimate on site activities.

“Nonprofits are supposed to benefit the public — not defraud it,” Ellison said. “Most nonprofits work hard and do good work to help the people of Minnesota — but not these sham organizations. I am seeking to permanently shut down these sham nonprofits so they can’t be revived to defraud the public again.”

Over 2/3 of the organizations were located in Hennepin County. All but three were found to be connected to the “Feeding our Future” scandal, which defrauded the government out of $250 million.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced federal criminal charges in the massive fraud scheme in September of 2022. The fraud exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 60 co-conspirators have been charged related to that case, which was said to be the largest COVID-related fraud in the nation.

The complaints were filed in the counties of Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Stearns, and Rice, but the Attorney General will file a motion to consolidate them all in Hennepin County.