A southern Minnesota man charged in connection with the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud scheme pleaded guilty Monday to one count of money laundering.
Asad Mohamed Abshir, 34, who was slated to go to trial in August and was living in Mankato when he was charged, is the 48th conviction out of 72 defendants charged since 2022 in the massive scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program.
“This guilty plea is another step in exposing the staggering levels of fraud that have been hiding in plain sight across Minnesota,” acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said in a statement.
Abshir and his brother, Abdinasir Abshir, claimed to have provided 1.6 million meals in 2020 and 2021 at a food distribution site in Mankato through a nonprofit, Stigma Free International, which was overseen by Feeding Our Future.
Abdinasir Abshir, who was accused of witness tampering in a trial earlier this year, simultaneously said he provided food through another entity, Horseed Management LLC. Abdinasir Abshir pleaded guilty to wire fraud in March.
Abdinasir Abshir paid his brother $750,000 he received in the scheme — a portion of which Asad Abshir used to purchase a 2022 GMC Sierra truck, according to the plea. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release the vehicle has been seized and will be forfeited.
Asad Abshir could face 18 to 25 months in prison and owes $750,000 in restitution. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
