Feeding Our Future: the taxman cometh

A number of properties linked to the free-food scandal have fallen behind on their property taxes.

Immediately after the FBI raids on Feeding Our Future in January 2022, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota filed a forfeiture lawsuit against fourteen properties: twelve located in Minnesota and two in Kentucky.

As that case and the related criminal cases grind along, a twist has developed in the forfeiture lawsuit. Hennepin County intervened in late July as a claimant in the case, claiming that five of the properties are delinquent on their county property taxes.

Forfeiture properties Nos. 6 and 7 lead the list. These are located at 2722 Park Avenue in south Minneapolis and were the headquarters of the businesses related to Safari Restaurant.

It’s a multi-tenant office building, which incorporates the facade of an old mansion, shown above. The building is owned by individuals linked to Safari Restaurant and the county claims the property is delinquent on its taxes to the tune of more than $60,000. We covered the rich history of the building and its links to the scandal in a post from June of last year.

Property No. 8 is a million-dollar home in Plymouth linked to Defendant No. 3 in the scandal, a co-owner of the now-closed Safari Restaurant. More than $14,000 are owed.

Property No. 9 is a small apartment building in south Minneapolis, owned by Defendant Nos. 6 and 34 in the case. Both of these individuals formerly worked for the City of Minneapolis under Mayor Jacob Frey. More than $7,000 is owed to the county.

Property No. 12 is a former restaurant in Brooklyn Park. We also profiled the property back in June 2022. It is also owned by the Safari Restaurant-related figures.

Almost $22,000 is owed on the property.

The U.S. Attorney has had better luck with properties 10, 11, and 12. These are located on East Lake Street in Minneapolis and were owned by the figures in the S&S Catering group. These properties were forfeited in late 2022. Property No. 10 sold in January 2023 for $4.9 million.

The lead figure in the S&S Catering group, Qamar Hassan (defendant No. 23), has filed to change her plea at a hearing scheduled for August 24.

Stay tuned…