Ex-Minneapolis Mayoral Aide Sentenced to 33 Months in Feeding Our Future Fraud

Abdi Nur Salah, a former senior policy aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on Oct. 1 for his role in the Feeding Our Future child nutrition fraud scheme. Salah pleaded guilty in January 2025 to a wire-fraud charge tied to the operation of fraudulent child nutrition sites.

Case Overview

Federal prosecutors say Salah controlled Stigma-Free International, a nonprofit sponsored by Feeding Our Future, and used it to operate Federal Child Nutrition Program sites across Minnesota. From November 2020 through November 2021, those sites allegedly submitted false claims that nearly five million meals were served to children, supported by fabricated attendance rosters and forged invoices.

Fraudulent Payments and Laundering

Based on the falsified claims, Feeding Our Future reimbursed more than $10 million to sites tied to Stigma-Free International. Prosecutors attribute approximately $1.66 million of those federal child nutrition funds to Salah. The Justice Department says Salah created and used multiple shell companies to receive and launder the proceeds and used the money for personal enrichment, including real estate and business purchases.

Forfeiture and Related Filings

Federal civil forfeiture filings allege that $200,000 used toward the purchase of a Minneapolis property was traceable to Feeding Our Future payments routed through several entities. A January 2022 forfeiture complaint described a purchase of a four-unit building at 2529 12th Avenue South for $390,000, financed in part by a $386,000 cashier's check drawn on an ANS Projects LLC account.

A federal civil forfeiture complaint alleged that $200,000 used toward a Minneapolis property purchased by Abdi Nur Salah and a partner was traceable to Feeding Our Future funds routed through several entities. Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

As part of his plea, Salah agreed that proceeds and assets derived from the scheme were subject to forfeiture. Authorities seized $343,418.98 from a Star Choice Credit Union account linked to Stone Bridge Development LLC; the court later ordered forfeiture of $1,063,255 tied to the wire-fraud conviction and also forfeited two properties, according to reporting after the sentencing.

Sentence and Supervision

In addition to the 33-month prison term, the sentence includes two years of supervised release. U.S. Marshals took Salah into custody immediately after the sentencing hearing. Salah was the 31st defendant sentenced in the broader Feeding Our Future prosecution.

Broader Investigation and Agencies Involved

The Feeding Our Future investigation involves roughly $250 million in alleged pandemic-era fraud tied to federal nutrition funds. Investigators included the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Reporting Suspected Nutrition Program Fraud

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service and the USDA Office of Inspector General accept reports of suspected fraud, waste, or abuse in federal nutrition programs. The USDA encourages reporting with detailed information—names, locations, dates, descriptions, and supporting materials (receipts, screenshots, photos)—and notes that reporters may remain anonymous when appropriate.

Note: All factual details in this article are drawn from public court filings and Justice Department releases related to the Feeding Our Future case.