Ahmed Mohamed Artan, a 40-year-old resident of Golden Valley, Minnesota, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his role in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fraudulent Scheme and Charges
Artan acquired the nonprofit Stigma-Free International in October 2020, using it to open fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program sites across Minnesota, including Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Paul. His co-conspirators created shell companies posing as meal vendors, falsely claiming to serve millions of meals to children while fraudulently obtaining federal funds.
Between November 2020 and November 2021, Artan and his associates falsely reported serving nearly 5 million meals, submitting fraudulent meal count sheets, invoices, and attendance rosters listing fake children.
Additional Fraudulent Entities
Artan and his co-conspirators also established:
- Olive Management Inc., which falsely claimed to serve 3,000 meals daily at a small deli in St. Cloud, fraudulently reporting 1.6 million meals served over 12 months.
- Optimum Community Services, which falsely claimed to serve 700,000 meals at sites in Golden Valley and Waite Park between March and December 2021.
Misuse of Funds and Asset Seizure
Instead of using the funds for child nutrition, Artan and his associates misappropriated over $1.6 million, transferring money to Five A’s Projects LLC and purchasing Kelly’s 19th Hole, a bar and restaurant in Brooklyn Park, which will now be forfeited to the U.S. government.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Artan pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud, with sentencing scheduled at a later date. The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
For more details, visit Justice.gov.
