Andrew M. Luger, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
A Chaska resident has admitted guilt in connection with a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick announced the plea.
Court documents reveal that from November 2020 to January 2022, Mohamed Muse Noor, also known as "Deeq Darajo," participated in defrauding a federal child nutrition program meant to provide free meals to children in need. Instead of feeding children, Noor and his co-defendants used the pandemic and subsequent program changes for personal gain by misappropriating millions of dollars from federal funds.
Noor was recruited into the Feeding Our Future scheme despite lacking experience in food provision. In December 2020, he applied to join the Federal Child Nutrition Program through Abdikerm Eidleh, an employee at Feeding Our Future, under Aimee Bock's leadership, who was then Executive Director of the non-profit organization. Under Eidleh’s guidance, Noor signed forms with fake meal counts and fabricated invoices claiming to feed supper and snacks to 1,500 children daily shortly after being sponsored by Feeding Our Future. However, he did not serve any meals or visit registered sites under his name.
The plea agreement indicates that Noor paid kickbacks to Eidleh for sponsorship in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Sites linked with Noor fraudulently acquired up to $1.3 million by falsely claiming meal services for thousands of children per day. Most of this amount was either transferred or intercepted by Eidleh without Noor's knowledge; Noor retained approximately $52,388 from fraudulent proceeds.
Noor pleaded guilty before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing will be scheduled later.
The investigation involved the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting this case while Assistant U.S Attorney Craig Baune is managing asset seizure and forfeiture.
