Minnesota AG Keith Ellison’s secret 2021 meeting with a fraud family now crumbling under guilty pleas exposes how political connections may have shielded a massive COVID scam from scrutiny.
The Secret Meeting Unravels
In December 2021, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison met with members of the Mohammed family, including Julie Ikram Mohammed, amid their Feeding Our Future operations. The family secretly recorded the discussion, claiming state agencies racially targeted them while halting funds. They sought Ellison’s help to pressure the Minnesota Department of Education and pitched political donations and support. This occurred weeks before FBI raids exposed the scam.
Feeding Our Future Fraud Exposed
Feeding Our Future, a Minneapolis nonprofit, exploited COVID-19 child nutrition waivers to bill for phantom meals at sham sites, defrauding $250-300 million—the largest U.S. pandemic fraud case. Somali community operators dominated, with one North Minneapolis site falsely billing over $1 million. Pre-2021 warnings went ignored; the group sued state agencies. Federal prosecutions since 2022 have yielded dozens of convictions, including leader Aimee Bock.
Recent Guilty Pleas Revive Scrutiny
Julie Ikram Mohammed recently pleaded guilty, admitting full involvement in the $14.7 million theft, bribes, and laundering by her family. Her husband pleaded the same day; four more relatives followed last Friday. Brother Gandhi Mohammed rejected a plea, setting trial for April 20. Audio leaked by attorney Kenneth Udoibok and the Center of the American Experiment resurfaces, showing the family’s brazen recruitment pitch to Ellison.
Political Defenses and Calls for Accountability
Ellison defends the meeting as good-faith constituent outreach, stating he provided no aid and returned donations post-conviction. His office sued by Feeding Our Future later defended the Education Department. Gov. Tim Walz aligned with Ellison, calling agency actions “piddly.” Republicans, including Rep. Harry Niska and Sen. Joni Ernst, demand transparency like staff emails, citing Minnesota’s fraud scale under Democratic watch.
Government Failures Echo Nationwide
This scandal erodes trust across political lines, as taxpayers foot $250-300 million losses while whistleblowers faced retaliation. Somali businesses suffer stigma; defenses in remaining trials question state inaction. In Trump’s second term with GOP congressional control, such stories underscore elite accountability needs, departing from founding principles of limited government and honest public service. Both conservatives and liberals see a deep state prioritizing power over people.
Sources:
CBS Minnesota: Leaked meeting audio shows Keith Ellison and Feeding Our Future
KSTP: Ellison denies wrongdoing in secretly recorded meeting about Feeding Our Future
Minnesota House: Ellison op-ed or related document