11th conviction recorded in Feeding Our Future scandal

The lead defendant in the S&S Catering group pleaded guilty today.

Qamar Hassan was defendant No. 23 (of 60) and now is guilty plea No. 11 in the Feeding Our Future scandal.

The Sahan Journal reported the guilty plea this afternoon, which was filed in Federal court in Minneapolis. None of the 11 convicted so far have been sentenced.

Hassan pled guilty to two counts in the case and was released pending a sentencing hearing at a future date.

We had previously reported that Lake Street commercial properties owned by the S&S Catering figures had been forfeited to the Feds late last year.

According to the original indictment in the case, S&S Catering took between $12 million and $18 million out of the free-food programs.

Her plea agreement filed yesterday reports the amount for S&S as $16.5 million (p. 4).

In addition to the Lake Street commercial properties, ill-gotten gains included an apartment in Nairobi, Kenya, a Brooklyn Park townhouse, a Jeep, and a Range Rover. Cash totaling more than $600,000 was seized from various S&S Catering bank accounts.

The plea agreement adds to the forfeiture list some industrial properties on Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and additional properties in Brooklyn Park (p. 13). In addition, the list includes iPhones, gold jewelry, and other items seized during the January 20, 2022, searches (pp. 14-15). In total, she agreed to forfeit $5.6 million (p. 16), her share of the scheme.

According to reporting done by MN Reformer, Hassan has received more than $1.5 million in state funding for her healthcare and childcare-related businesses, unrelated to the free-food scandal.

According to Federal filings, another guilty plea is expected before the end of the month, with two more scheduled for early September. That would bring the total to 14 convictions in the case.

A trial date of January 22, 2024, has been set for Defendant No. 60, Sharon Ross.