12th guilty plea entered in Feeding Our Future scandal

Abdikadir Kadiye, Defendant No. 55 in the case, entered a guilty plea yesterday in Federal court in Minneapolis. This represents the 12th conviction, to date, obtained by the U.S. Attorney.

Sahan Journal has a report.

Kadiye was charged back in March as part of an expanded indictment of the Haji’s Kitchen group of defendants.

The indictment accuses Kadiye of taking $1.7 million out of the free food program through his Hobyo Health Care Foundation. Hobyo operated three food distribution sites under the sponsorship of Partners in Nutrition (d/b/a Partners in Quality Care), which is referred to as “Sponsor A” in the indictment. His guilty plea indicates that Kadiye’s take amounted to $1 million.

His guilty plea lists as one of his food vendors the defendant who would later become guilty plea No. 10 in the case. His other food vendor is now a fugitive.

The U.S. Attorney alleges (Indictment, p. 30, para. d) that Kadiye sent $20,000 toward the purchase of a laundromat in December 2021. As it happens, that laundromat, located on 1st Avenue South in Minneapolis, was purchased in February 2022 at a price of over $1.1 million. State Sen. Steve Drazkowsi (R-Mazeppa) visited the laundromat earlier this year and posted this video on Facebook. A screenshot,

In court yesterday, Kadiye reported that he never completed the purchase of the business. The sale last year was completed to a different buyer.

Other ill-gotten gains included in the March indictment featured payments toward Kadiye’s residence in Plymouth and credit card bills, a condominium purchased in Minneapolis (listed as a food distribution site), and other commercial properties in Minneapolis. Vehicles include a $105,000 BMW SUV, a pickup truck, and two cargo vans.

Two more guilty pleas are expected next week.

According to a filing made yesterday in Federal court, trial dates for the remaining defendants are expected to be set for no earlier than 2024. Proposed start dates for various batches of defendants range from January to fall of next year.