Asad Mohamed Abshir has pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection with the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. He is the 48th person convicted in this case.
“This guilty plea is another step in exposing the staggering levels of fraud that have been hiding in plain sight across Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “This defendant laundered money meant to feed children and funneled it into a web of shell companies and luxury spending."
Abshir assisted his brother, Abdinasir Abshir, in operating Stigma Free International under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship, claiming to run a food distribution site in Mankato, Minnesota. However, they did not provide the meals claimed and received taxpayer dollars fraudulently.
From 2020 to 2021, they falsely claimed to have provided 1.6 million meals for children. Abdinasir received approximately $750,000 from this scheme. Asad used $77,353 of these funds to purchase a truck that will be forfeited along with $424,762 seized from his shell company Santana LLC.
“Asad Abshir’s guilty plea underscores a troubling intersection of deception and exploitation within federal assistance programs designed to nourish vulnerable populations,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Abshir pleaded guilty before Judge Nancy E. Brasel in U.S District Court; sentencing will be scheduled later.
Acting U.S Attorney Joseph H Thompson along with Assistant U.S Attorneys Matthew S Ebert Harry M Jacobs Daniel W Bobier are prosecuting; Craig Baune handles asset seizure forfeiture.
