Omar allies tied to massive Minnesota COVID meal fraud scheme involving Somali community
Members of the inner circle of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., personally profited from the $1 billion welfare-fraud scandal in her district that has placed her Somali constituency under the White...
By Fox News · Fox News
Members of the inner circle of Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn., personally profited from the $1 billion welfare-fraud scandal in her district that has placed her Somali constituency under the White House microscope. Omar held events at one of the restaurants named in the fraud, knew one of its now-convicted owners, and had a staffer who was also convicted, the New York Post reported. In addition, Omar introduced the legislation that led to $250 million being defrauded from federal child-nutrition programs in COVID-19 aid, according to the newspaper. FEDERAL PROBE TARGETS ALLEGED MINNESOTA SOMALI FRAUD ‘NETWORK’ AS COVID-AID CRIME RINGS PERSIST Around $250 million in state funds was distributed beginning in 2020 to provide meals to schoolchildren during the pandemic. However, the money was allegedly pocketed by Salim Ahmed Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar held her 2018 congressional victory party. Said was convicted in March for his role in the scheme, with the Justice Department stating that the funds—intended to feed children—were used to finance a lavish lifestyle. He spent much of the money on a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and a $9,000-per-month shopping habit at Nordstrom, according to prosecutors. The free meals were made possible by the 2020 MEALS Act, introduced by Omar and passed with bipartisan support, the Post said. Much of the funding was funneled through the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, according to the DOJ. Omar appeared in a video promoting the program. LIZ PEEK: MASSIVE MINNESOTA WELFARE HEIST PROVES DEMOCRATS CAN'T POLICE THEIR OWN MESS The congresswoman has not been directly linked to the fraud. Fox News Digital has attempted to reach her office for comment. "The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by Feeding Our Future is reprehensible. Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable," she told…