(KNSI) – One of the primary perpetrators of the Feeding our Future scandal will spend most of the rest of his life in federal prison.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah learned his fate on Wednesday. Judge Nancy Brasel sentenced him to 28 years, followed by three years of supervised release. Farah is already 36 years old.
Farah was the co-owner of Empire Cuisine & Market. He claimed to have served 18 million meals to kids using U.S. Department of Agriculture funds administered by the state at 30 locations. Farah and his partners are believed to have stolen $47 million, nearly a sixth of the total amount pilfered as part of the largest pandemic scandal in America.
Farah had a trial in June 2024 where he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, passport fraud, and more. He then pleaded guilty to bribery of a juror earlier this year. Investigators say Farah’s claims were brazen, as most of the sites he listed as food distribution centers were vacant buildings or undeveloped parking lots.
They faked meal counts and invoices, plus rosters of children’s names that didn’t exist. Farah used his cut to buy five vehicles, including a $300,000 Porsche. When the investigation began, Farah’s passport was seized. He went to the Minneapolis Passport Agency two months later to try to apply for a new one and flee the country to Kenya. Farah was also part of the conspiracy to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash.
Judge Brasel unloaded on Farah from the bench, pointing out he was brought to the country and given housing, schooling, and college tuition for free. Farah then began work as a public employee. Brasel said, “Given that background, it is ironic at best that, as the government aimed no child went hungry during the pandemic, you saw the opportunity to fraudulently make money.”
She continued, “You achieved successes here in the United States and yet you’ve shown utter and flagrant disregard for the laws of the United States.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson didn’t hold back either. In a statement, he railed, “This country gave Farah everything. A home. Citizenship. A free college education. After that, he went on to public employment with the state of Minnesota. And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind. He has gotten every opportunity, and this is how he used it. Farah didn’t want the American dream. He wanted to be rich. He wanted to be wealthy. He thought he was entitled to it. He won the lottery of life, he was given everything by this country, and he repaid us with a life of crime. He has done untold damage to this state.”
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