DOJ: Mekfira Hussein admitted to fraudulently claiming millions in federal child nutrition funds, using the money for personal expenses.Photo byCharles ChenonUnsplash

A Shakopee woman pleaded guilty to her role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited the Federal Child Nutrition Program (FCNP) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced Jan. 3.

Mekfira Hussein, president of Shamsia Hopes, a Brooklyn Center nonprofit, admitted to enrolling the organization in the FCNP in October 2020 under the direction of Abdikerm Eidleh, the department said.

Notably, she applied through the program’s sponsor, Feeding Our Future, led by Executive Director Aimee Bock, the department stated.

From 2020 to 2021, Shamsia Hopes claimed to have served more than 3.4 million meals, though only a fraction was actually provided, the department confirmed.

In December 2020, at Eidleh’s direction, Hussein’s husband, Abduljabar Hussein, registered Oromia Feeds LLC as a food vendor with the State of Minnesota, the department added.

Oromia Feeds had a contract to supply meals to Shamsia Hopes sites, but Abduljabar Hussein submitted fraudulent invoices seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in FCNP funds, the department said.

Mekfira Hussein falsely claimed Shamsia Hopes was feeding up to 5,000 children daily, seven days a week, and diverted at least $5.4 million to her husband’s company, which spent little on food, the department stated.

The Husseins collected $8.8 million in federal funds, using some for personal expenses, including $173,438 to pay off their Shakopee home and purchases of a 2021 Porsche and a 2022 GMC truck, the department said.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, as part of their scheme, the Husseins paid $140,000 in kickbacks to Eidleh and least $12,000 in kickbacks to Bock.