A woman implicated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been arrested and indicted on charges of wire fraud, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Hibo Daar, 50, was apprehended at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as she attempted to leave for Dubai.
Court documents reveal that Daar owned Northside Wellness Center, which she applied to use as a food distribution site under the federal child nutrition program sponsored by Feeding Our Future in 2020. She allegedly claimed to serve thousands of meals weekly from a small business park in Minneapolis, with inflated meal counts supported by false invoices and attendance rosters. Her claims led to over $2.4 million in reimbursements, with $1.7 million received into an account she controlled.
Daar is accused of using most of these funds for personal gain rather than purchasing food and allegedly paid $72,000 in bribes to a Feeding Our Future employee for processing her fraudulent claims.
The arrest was part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to tackle what they describe as the largest COVID-19 related fraud scheme and their biggest case historically. “Our work is not done,” stated Kirkpatrick.
FBI Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr., highlighted the impact of such fraud on taxpayers, stating that those exploiting government programs will face justice.
This investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier handling prosecution duties.
It is important to note that an indictment remains an allegation until guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt in court.
