MINNEAPOLIS — The jury in the trial for 7 defendants in the $250 million Feeding our Future meal fraud case received an inside look at how the alleged scam took place -- from someone on the inside.
Hadith Ahmed says back in 2022 when the FBI laid out the paper trail in front of him with all the evidence of his crimes, he agreed to plead guilty and help prosecutors take down other defendants.
"Why did you participate in the federal food program?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Jacobs asked Hadith Ahmed on the witness stand.
"I wanted to get rich. To make money," Ahmed answered very early in his testimony, establishing clearly that the Feeding our Future employee was taking part in a scam – that he claims involved many, many others.
Ahmed was the first defendant to plead guilty in the $250 million Feeding our Future meal fraud case back in October 2022.
Now he is a star witness for federal prosecutors as he agreed to explain how the fraud was carried out – and the connections he allegedly had to the 7 defendants currently on trial.
Ahmed testified that he created a fake company called Southwest Metro Youth in Eden Prairie to run phony meal sites at the same time he worked for Feeding our Future, the nonprofit that was supposed to provide oversight. He received $1 million in federal money.
"The benefit is I was paid by Feeding our Future and also getting money from Southwest Metro Youth. No site supervisor would go to Southwest because I was the right hand to Aimee Bock," he said.
Although she is not on trial yet, a lot of Ahmed's testimony centered on Aimee Bock, the former executive director of Feeding our Future.
Ahmed testified that he and Bock discussed the obviously fake names of children other sites claimed to be feeding, and that he and Bock decided to look the other way because more meal sites equaled more money for them.
He described Feeding our Future as a bank where the scammers could withdraw money, and those who provided kickbacks would receive VIP treatment – including several of the defendants on trial -- like the owners of Empire Cuisine in Shakopee.
The jury saw multiple checks written by the defendants to Ahmed through his phony consulting company. Ahmed testified that he stole an additional $1 million that way.
Another defendant claimed to serve meals at the Dar al Farooq mosque in Bloomington, with phony invoices to go along with it, approved by Ahmed.
"The VIP treatment" consisted of making sure their invoices went to the top of Bock's desk for payment, and that no one would go check on their meal sites, Ahmed testified.
At the end of his testimony, the prosecutor asked, "How do you feel about what you did?" And Ahmed answered, "Ashamed."
Cross examination was just getting underway when court ended for the day, so Hadith Ahmed will likely spend tomorrow on the witness stand as well. Even though he is helping prosecutors, he still faces up to 4 years in prison when he's sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
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