MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors say an Eagan woman has pleaded guilty to her role in the massive $250 million COVID-era Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 42-year-old Kawsar Jama used her position as the principal operator of two organizations to set up bogus Federal Child Nutrition Program feeding sites in Burnsville, Minneapolis and Pelican Rapids. Court documents say she used false food invoices from an associate's food business to submit fraudulent claims for reimbursement.
Prosecutors point to the Pelican Rapids site, saying Jama fraudulently claimed to have served more than 233,000 meals to children between September 2021 and December 2021. Pelican Rapids has a total population of just 2,500, making that kind of meal volume impossible.
Between 2020 and 2022, records show, Jama submitted at least $4.5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program Claims, some of which she spent on real estate and vehicles, including a Tesla Model X.
Jama pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in U.S. Federal Court on Monday. She will be sentenced at a later date.