Feeding Our Future: convictions #50, 51

Hibo Daar pled guilty to one count of wire fraud this morning in the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. She becomes the 51st defendant convicted in the Feeding Our Future case, the 44th through a guilty plea.

Earlier this morning, Hamdi Omar also pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, logging the 50th conviction, 43rd guilty plea.

Your correspondent was there for both.

Hibo Salah Daar, age 51, is defendant No. 71, overall, and is one of the few defendants ever held in pre-trial custody.

She was arrested at the Minneapolis airport in late May, en route to Kenya. She has been held at the federal lockup at the Sherburne County jail since May 17. Only 65 days elapsed from the date of her arrest to the filing of her plea agreement. Perhaps her custodial status played a role in the swift unfolding of events in her case.

Under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, Daar ran a food distribution site through her Northside Wellness Center, located in this storefront office in northeast Minneapolis.

I just happened to take the above photo of the office while investigating some nearby addresses associated with the sprawling free-food scandal.

In her plea agreement, Daar admitted to billing the government for more than 1 million meals at a total cost of $2.4 million. As part of the plea agreement, Daar is on the hook for up to $1.8 million in restitution.

During the proceedings this morning, a Somali-language interpreter was present, if needed. In the event, his services were not utilized.

The plea agreement discusses Daar’s work with an unnamed, unindicted (so far) co-Conspirator 1. The agreement also discusses her work with Hoda Abdi, Defendant No. 70, who pled guilty (No. 18) earlier in the case.

Sentencing guidelines call for a prison sentence of between 33 and 41 months (about 3 years). Daar remains in custody awaiting her sentencing. However, a separate hearing on her pre-sentencing detention will be held next week.

Earlier this morning, Hamdi Hussein Omar, age 29, entered a guilty plea. She is Defendant No. 12, overall, and admitted to running the fake Stigma-Free International food distribution site in Waite Park, near St. Cloud. Her site billed for $1.4 million in meals never served.

Omar was included in one of the original indictments filed in September 2022. However, her current attorney, Ed Sapone of New York, has only been officially on the case for a little over a week. Omar was scheduled to stand trial on four charges beginning August 18.

In fact, she was the last available defendant for that August trial window, which now will be cancelled with her guilty plea. This morning’s timeslot was originally scheduled as a pre-trial conference to discuss pending pre-trial motions.

The next courtroom trial in the case is schedule for September.

Omar’s plea agreement calls for her to serve between 30 and 37 months (2 1/2 to 3 years) in prison. She is also on the hook for the $1.4 million. She is classified as a minor participant in the fraud scheme.

Omar is a single mother of an infant child.

Conviction No. 52, on guilty plea No. 45, is scheduled for August 7 and involves Guhaad Hashi Said, Defendant No. 27 (part of the S&S Catering Group).

Of the 51 convictions so far, only 4 sentences have been handed down. On August 6, Abdiaziz Farah (Defendant No. 15, Conviction No. 19) is scheduled for sentencing. Farah is considered to be the ringleader of the Empire Cuisine group of defendants and prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 30 years.

Abdiaziz’s brother, Said Farah, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea in the related juror bribery case on August 21.