Feeding Our Future: The Omar Fateh 11

Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh returned contributions from 11 persons linked to the alleged Feeding Our Future scandal. Who were the 11?

Early in the alleged Feeding Our Future scandal, it was reported that Sen. Fateh had received and returned campaign donations from several figures linked to the free-food fraud scandal. Fateh represents part of Minneapolis. Each person gave $1,000 in 2021 for a total of $11,000.

According to documents on file at the state’s Campaign Finance Board, Fatah returned contributions from the 11 individuals listed below,

The seven persons denoted with the symbol “X” are mentioned by name in the FBI search warrants. Keep in mind that not a single person has been arrested or indicted in the alleged scandal.

The address 309 E. Lake Street in Minneapolis was “subject premises no. 4” in the FBI search warrant no. 2. The significance of that address is discussed in this post.

Another two individuals, Baydan and Mowlid Mohamed, list as employers (Horseed and Tunyar, respectively) companies that were named in the FBI search warrants. The two individuals were not named.

That leaves two of the 11 unaccounted for. As Sahan Journal reports, Fateh returned these donations “out of an abundance of caution.” What specifically about these two donations raised red flags within the Fateh campaign was not mentioned.

In his campaign filings, Fateh lists Asad Abshir as a self-employed business owner under a Mankato address. Other than the last name, there is no obvious connection between this individual and the alleged Feeding Our Future scandal.

Fateh lists Hussein Mohamed as employed by Twin Cities Autism, and his address as the autism center’s address in Columbia Heights: 4041 Central Avenue NE. In the database maintained by the state’s Department of Education (MDE), that address is listed as a distribution site for the free-food Summer Food Service Program. The site’s host is listed as the Twin Cities Autism Center and has a listed capacity of 2,500 children. The site is listed as being open on Saturdays from 10 to 4. The Center operates out of this unmarked storefront,

The sponsor for the site is Youth Leadership Academy, one of the three free-food nonprofits suspended by MDE.

Twin Cities Autism Center was founded by Hussein Mohamed in February 2020. It joined the Youth network in June 2021, according to MDE records.