A Minneapolis woman has pleaded guilty for her role in a massive fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Najmo M. Ahmed, 35, admitted to helping her husband, Said Ereg, submit fraudulent claims for over $4.2 million in federal funds.
According to court documents, Ahmed and Ereg ran a small grocery store called Evergreen Grocery and Deli. In April 2020, they enrolled the store in the Federal Child Nutrition Program as a food distribution site, falsely claiming to serve meals to children.
Ahmed signed falsified meal count sheets, including one claiming the store served 3,250 children twice a day. Between April 2020 and April 2021, Evergreen Grocery and Deli fraudulently claimed to have served over 1.4 million meals…