by MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Another significant sentence has been handed down in the massive “Feeding Our Future” fraud case that misused federal child nutrition funds during the COVID-19 pandemic—a case that has drawn national attention, including from officials in states like Wyoming concerned about safeguarding similar programs.
Sahra Mohamed Nur, 63, of Minneapolis, has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay over $5 million in restitution for her role in a scheme that defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrition assistance program.
According to federal prosecutors, Nur conspired with others from December 2020 to January 2022 to exploit the program intended to provide meals to children in need. As owner of S & S Catering Inc., Nur first joined the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit at the center of the scandal.
Over time, S & S Catering expanded its role, serving as a vendor to several food distribution sites under the same umbrella. Court documents reveal Nur falsely claimed to have served over 1.2 million meals between September 2020 and April 2021, and that affiliated sites reported an additional eight million fake meals.
These fabrications resulted in over $10 million in payments directly to Nur’s company and more than $16 million in reimbursements processed through Feeding Our Future. Instead of using the funds to feed children during the pandemic, prosecutors say Nur diverted the money for personal enrichment, including buying commercial real estate.
In September 2022, Nur was one of eight individuals charged in a sweeping 23-count federal indictment. She later pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
During sentencing, Judge Nancy E. Brasel described the fraud as “staggering” and lamented the deep harm it caused: “Public trust in government programs has significantly decreased,” she stated, adding that it was “tragic” how the scheme affected the Somali-American community’s reputation.
The investigation was led by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case continues to send ripples through federal and state agencies, including in Wyoming, where officials are now reviewing local oversight protocols for federal food aid to prevent similar abuses.
