Minnesota Feeding Our Future Fraud Leader Gets 30 Years

WHO:

NY Post - Salim Said, described as a Minnesota food fraudster and leader, was sentenced in connection with the “Feeding Our Future” scheme.

ABC News - Said operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, which specialized in Somali dishes; he was a native of Somalia.

ABC News - Aimee Bock, leader of the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, was convicted alongside Said and is serving a 42-year prison sentence.

ABC News - U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Said’s sentence; his attorney was Samuel Savage.

ABC News - President Donald Trump criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over the fraud. Walz said he would not run for reelection.

WHAT:

NY Post - Said was sentenced to 30 years in prison; the government said he was responsible for $44 million in fraud, including fraud committed by people he recruited.

ABC News - Prosecutors said Said claimed to distribute 6,000 meals daily, while FBI cameras showed about 40 people a day collecting food.

ABC News - Prosecutors said Said submitted thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims for 21 consecutive months, claiming meals had been provided to children they described as fictitious.

ABC News - Prosecutors said: “The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie.”

ABC News - Said denied the allegations at trial and testified that many meals were delivered. He told the jury: “If you’re making good food, people will come to you.”

ABC News - The government said Said bought a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate and an $87,000 pickup truck.

ABC News - Dozens of people have been convicted in the Minnesota fraud scheme.

WHERE:

ABC News - The scheme involved Minnesota; Said’s Safari Restaurant was in Minneapolis, in an area described as “Little Mogadishu.”

ABC News - The Minnesota Department of Education received complaints about Feeding Our Future; state auditors said it often told the group to police itself.

WHY:

ABC News - The scheme sought millions of dollars from a federal food program by claiming to have fed needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HOW:

ABC News - Pandemic-era program changes allowed restaurants to participate and food distribution to take place outside schools; prosecutors said Said overstated meal counts to obtain reimbursement.

IJR - FBI surveillance showed about 40 people a day collecting food while Said claimed 6,000 meals daily.

(UPDATED October 29, 2026 12:07 UTC)

Salim Said was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which prosecutors said sought millions in federal reimbursements by falsely claiming to feed children during the pandemic. Prosecutors said Said claimed to provide 6,000 meals a day and filed fraudulent claims for 21 months, while FBI surveillance showed about 40 people collecting food daily; the government said he was responsible for $44 million in fraud. Said denied the allegations at trial, and dozens of people have been convicted in the scheme, including nonprofit leader Aimee Bock, who is serving a 42-year sentence.