Minneapolis Grocer Indicted in Massive Feeding Our Future Fraud; Accused of Stealing Over $1 Million

(KNSI) – A Minneapolis grocery store owner has been indicted on nine federal counts for his alleged role in what prosecutors are calling the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation.

Ousman Camara is the 77th person to be arrested in connection with the Feeding Our Future scandal, which robbed hundreds of millions from taxpayers. Camara owned K’s Dollar Grocery and Deli in North Minneapolis. According to the indictment, he fraudulently claimed to serve 1,000 meals a day, seven days a week, to children through the Federal Child Nutrition Program in 2020 and 2021.

He has been charged with wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and money laundering for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from a program designed to feed hungry children during the pandemic.

Instead of using the funds to purchase food, authorities allege he splurged on luxury items and paid credit card bills, purchased a building, and wired more than $100,000 in fraud proceeds overseas. Prosecutors also say Camara paid approximately $87,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee to secure sponsorship and approval of his fraudulent claims.

This wasn’t Camara’s first brush with federal nutrition programs. In August 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture disqualified both Camara and his store from participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program due to suspected fraud.

Despite this disqualification, Camara enrolled K’s Grocery in the Federal Child Nutrition Program in September 2020 under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.

An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

___