MINNEAPOLIS — A Shakopee man, convicted of playing a key role in the Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud scheme, is being told he has to pay back nearly $48 million.
Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, 24, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Prosecutors say the scheme started with Nur’s business, Empire Cuisine & Market, in Shakopee, in the early days of the pandemic. When Empire Cuisine enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program, he and others immediately opened fake meal sites. He claimed to serve 18 million meals to kids at more than 30 food distribution sites, but the rosters were filled with the names of fake children. Prosecutors say Nur and his co-conspirators stole more than $47 million in program funds.
“Using the taxpayer money meant for needy kids, he purchased a 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck for $64,000. Six weeks later, he purchased a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe for $35,000. Nur used fraud proceeds to take a honeymoon to the Maldives, where he stayed in a private villa. He also spent $30,000 in fraud proceeds to purchase jewelry in Dubai,” states a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office – District of Minnesota…