DOJ: A Minnesota woman admitted to defrauding a federal child nutrition program of $5.7 million.Photo byamoon raonUnsplash

A Savage, MN, woman pleaded guilty today to her role in a fraud scheme exploiting a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

The U.S. attorney’s office said Ayan Farah Abukar, 43, participated in a scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program by misappropriating and laundering millions of dollars meant to reimburse the cost of meals for underserved children.

According to court documents, Abukar and her co-defendants exploited program changes made during the pandemic to ensure children in need received adequate nutrition, the department confirmed.

Instead of using the funds to feed children, the department said Abukar and her co-defendants enriched themselves by diverting millions of dollars in program funds.

The department stated that Abukar, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Action for East African People, enrolled the organization in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A.

Between October 2020 and 2022, Abukar allegedly falsely claimed to serve up to 5,000 children daily at sites in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Savage, and St. Paul.

In total, Abukar fraudulently obtained approximately $5.7 million in program funds, the department said.

According to the department, Abukar paid more than $330,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee as part of the scheme.

The U.S. attorney’s office added that Abukar used the fraudulently obtained funds to buy millions of dollars in real estate, including a 37-acre commercial property in Lakeville, and spent hundreds of thousands on an aircraft in Nairobi, Kenya.