Kenyan Ahmednaji Sheikh indicted in U.S. over $40M Covid fraud, accused of laundering funds via real estate; brother jailed 28 years.
Feeding Our Future: $250M Fraud Lands Farah 28-Year Sentence
MINNEAPOLIS, August 6, 2025 — U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel has sentenced Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 35, to 28 years in prison for orchestrating the Feeding Our Future scandal — a COVID-19 fraud scheme that stole more than $250 million intended to feed children, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
A Landmark Sentence
The Wednesday ruling is among the harshest penalties yet for pandemic-related fraud in the United States. Prosecutors labeled Farah the “mastermind of an empire built on stolen taxpayer funds.”
“This is a shocking betrayal of public trust,” Judge Brasel said, describing the scheme as both brazen and devastating, AP News reported.
How the Scheme Worked
From 2020 to 2022, Farah and his partners filed false claims for millions of nonexistent meals under the federal child nutrition program.
Instead of feeding children, investigators say the money financed luxury homes, high-end cars, jewelry, and overseas investments. According to MPR News, some of the funds were funneled into Kenyan real estate.
The Global Money Trail
Prosecutors said Farah relied on his brother, Ahmednaji Sheikh, a Kenyan national, to launder millions abroad. Court filings show the pair used sham companies, bulk cash transfers, and real estate purchases in Nairobi and Mandera Town.
“The indictment shows yet again what we are up against,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said. “We must protect taxpayer dollars and the children these programs were designed to serve.”
Authorities Respond
The FBI called the case “one of the largest pandemic-era frauds” uncovered.
“Sheikh and Farah laundered more than $40 million in federal funds,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr. “They turned a program to feed hungry children into a cash pipeline for luxury living.”
What’s Next
Farah’s lawyers argue he was not the architect of the scheme and plan to appeal. Meanwhile, the Justice Department confirmed that 74 people have been charged, with more trials expected this year.This August six foreign nationals, including a Kenyan were indicted by US Federal prosecutors for allegedly conspiring to supply $ 58 million in weapons.
For now, the 28-year sentence stands as one of the toughest punishments for pandemic fraud in U.S. history.