Najmo Ahmed gets 14 months in Feeding Our Future fraud scheme
Feeding Our Future fraud: 2 set for sentencing
Two more people convicted in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme will learn how much time they will spend in prison. Najmo Ahmed pleaded guilty to receiving more than $4.2 million after fraudulently claiming to serve 1.4 million meals to children, with prosecutors stating the laundered money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle. Another defendant, Asha Jama, will also be sentenced for defrauding the child nutrition program of more than $5 million.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The latest sentencing in the massive Feeding our Future fraud scheme was handed down Monday.
What we know:
Najmo Ahmed was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison. Sentencing guidelines called for 21 to 27 months, while prosecutors were seeking more than two years. Her sentence is scheduled to start July 15, and it will be followed by one year of supervised release.
Ahmed must also pay back more than $1 million in restitution.
Najmo Ahmed guilty plea
Why you should care:
Najmo Ahmed and her husband falsely claimed to feed more than 3,200 kids twice a day at their Minneapolis grocery and deli – Evergreen Grocery and Deli. Ahmed pleaded guilty last year to receiving more than $4.2 million in payments from Feeding Our Future based on these fraudulent claims.
Authorities said between April 2020 and April 2021, Ahmed claimed to serve over 1.4 million meals to children.
Federal prosecutors say Ahmed laundered nearly $1.4 million through her personal bank accounts, using the money to fund her lavish lifestyle.
Another defendant faces sentencing
What's next:
On Tuesday, another defendant, Asha Jama, will be sentenced in a separate case. Jama was convicted of using a restaurant in Rochester to defraud more than $5 million from the child nutrition program.
Prosecutors are seeking a 16-month sentence for Jama in this case.