What did Ilhan Omar know about the $1B welfare fraud case in her Minnesota district?
The stories that have surfaced show an unsettling picture of how Representative Ilhan Omar’s Minnesota district was intertwined with a massive $1 billion welfare fraud. Investigators have traced her close connections to a network that siphoned off taxpayer money meant to feed schoolchildren during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Omar held a campaign victory party in 2018 at the Safari Restaurant—now a key venue in the scheme—and has repeatedly crossed paths with men who later faced charges for fraud. The group’s co‑owner, Salim Ahmed Said, is currently serving time after a federal jury found him guilty of stealing more than $12 million from the program. His excesses included buying a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and maintaining a $9 000‑a‑month wardrobe at Nordstrom, according to prosecutors.
Another associate, Guhaad Hashi Said, pleaded guilty in August for operating a fake food‑delivery nonprofit, Advance Youth Athletic Development, which claimed to serve 5 000 meals a day while pocketing $3,200,000 of taxpayer funds. Guhaad’s involvement in Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer” who organized voter outreach in the Somali community has been highlighted by local media.
While no formal indictment has linked Omar directly to the wrongdoing, her staff has faced scrutiny. A top aide, Deputy District Director Ali Isse, appeared on camera defending the nonprofit when the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) flagged irregularities in 2021. He dismissed the agency’s questions as over‑reach, accusing officials of “anti‑black racism.” A former state legislator, David Gaither, echoed similar concerns, suggesting that raising doubts about the program simply triggers a racism card, causing investigators to look the other way.
The federal investigation is still expanding. As of now, 78 people—including donors to Omar’s campaign—have been indicted. Many of the defendants later returned $7,400 in direct campaign contributions when the scandal broke in 2022. The scheme also included bogus claims about providing shelter for the homeless and diagnosing non‑autistic children as having autism, all to secure state funds.
Meanwhile, on Monday a U.S. House committee and the Treasury Department began probing whether Gov. Tim Walz was complicit in overlooking the fraud. Walz stated that he welcomed the probe, but offered no comment on the level of his involvement. The investigation has placed additional pressure on Minnesota’s top officials for failing to catch the scheme sooner.
Throughout the latest fallout, Omar has largely remained silent, though she has publicly condemned the alleged fraud and insisted she was unaware of any wrongdoing. Her spokesperson reiterated, “I have no knowledge of any wrongdoing,” as the state grapples with a scandal that touches every corner of her district.
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