Minnesota’s Democratic leaders—including Attorney General Keith Ellison and his son, Minneapolis City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison, as well as Mayor Jacob Frey and Representative Ilhan Omar—collectively took in about $53,000 in campaign cash that actually came from fraudsters who siphoned roughly $250 million from taxpayer funds meant for child‑feeding programs. The money flowed through the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, a charity that pretended to deliver millions of meals to kids during the pandemic though most of the purported meals never existed.
After a meeting with Somali business owners on December 11, Ellison’s campaign received $10,000 from the businessmen; Gandi Mohamed, who’d later be indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges, also donated $2,500. Three more $2,500 gifts linked to Feeding Our Future were taken the same day. A spokesperson for Ellison said no one at the meeting actually contributed to his campaign and that he “returned every contribution from the handful of people associated with Feeding Our Future as soon as I was made aware of those connections.” Yet, three days after the meeting, the campaign still recorded the cash.
In a recorded dialogue with Somali business leaders—later released by the Center for the American Experiment—Ellison told them, “I’m not here because I think it’s going to help my re‑election.” Despite this, Bill Glahn of the Center for the American Experiment has blasted Ellison for doing nothing to address the fraud, calling it “amazing” that a top state cop remains silent.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has sent letters to Governor Tim Walz and Ellison as part of an investigation into the state’s role in the $1 billion welfare fraud. The scheme involved both federal and state payments to Feeding Our Future, which diverted money to Somali community businesses. Rep. Omar’s own legislation helped open the door for the charity’s meals, while she and her campaign later received $7,400 from fraudsters who were subsequently convicted—money that was subsequently returned.
Jeremiah Ellison, a councilman noted for his left‑wing views, took $3,000 from Ikram Mohamed (brother of Gandi) and other people tied to the scandal and reportedly refunded it. Mayor Jacob Frey’s campaign benefitted from $9,000 handed out by nine defendants; his campaign also returned the contributions. Senator Omar Fatah, who recently lost the mayoral race against Frey, had $11,000 from similarly linked donors, which his team said was refunded as well.
“Two of the biggest fraud donations were given to candidates running against each other for mayor,” remarked Glahn. “Both Frey and Omar Fatah took in thousands of dollars from the people committing the fraud and it played absolutely no role in the election.”
The Minnesota state agencies, aware of the problems with Feeding Our Future, continued to disburse grants under minimal oversight and under threat of a lawsuit from the involved Somali business leaders. Across the country, the federal investigation has so far charged 75 individuals, with more than half pleading guilty. Among those who received substantial payments was Shukri Olow, a Washington state candidate whose campaign took $8,750 from ten people later indicted for fraud in Minnesota. Glahn noted that Seattle—home to one of the largest Somali populations in the West—has deep ties to the scandal.
Other Minnesota recipients included State Senator John Hoffman, who took $3,000, and former Rep. John Thompson, who accepted $1,000. Both campaigns reportedly returned the cash.
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