Feeding Our Future reaches indictment No. 50

The latest person charged is the husband of No. 48. The always alert Lou Raguse of KARE 11 reported this afternoon that Abduljabar Hussein was charged in the Feeding Our Future case, joining his wife, Mekfira. Both are free, awaiting trial.

She was originally charged in a complaint filed last month, as she was preparing for a trip to Ethiopia. A new indictment covers them both.

Previous reporting by the Star Tribune linked the two to defendant No. 47, who pled guilty last week.

Mekfira was the founder of the nonprofit Shamsia Hopes, who operated free-food distribution sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.

In December 2020, Abduljabar founded Oromia Feeds LLC, the registered food vendor for the Shamsia effort.

Abduljabar, Mekfira, and four other members of the Hussein household in Shakopee donated a total of $3,000 to state Sen. John Hoffman (D-Champlin) in 2021. He reportedly returned the money.

The indictment alleges that the Husseins took $7.8 million out of the free-food programs (p. 7, para. e). The indictment claims that the Husseins billed the government for meals provided by Oromia in October and November 2020, before the company was even formed (p. 13, para. 46-47).

On the forfeiture list is the family home in Shakopee. Vehicles listed in the indictment include a Porsche (purchased by Shamsia Hopes), a Tesla, and a GMC Sierra.

The Star Tribune includes denials from Mekfira’s attorney in their account of the latest indictment. But no explanation was offered for the Porsche.

The Sahan Journal has an extended interview with the lawyer, who claims that “the Porsche was a company vehicle.”