(Crankers) A Somali restaurant in Minneapolis, Safari Restaurant, was involved in a large federal child nutrition program fraud scheme, leading to the conviction of its co-owner, Salim Said.
The restaurant and its affiliated sites fraudulently received over $16 million in federal funds, with Safari itself taking about $12 million. This was part of the “Feeding Our Future” case, a nationwide scheme that stole over $250 million meant to provide free meals to low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those involved created fake companies, claimed to serve millions of meals, and used false attendance records. Safari falsely claimed to serve thousands of meals daily, far beyond its capacity.
Salim Said was found guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud in March 2025, and another operator, Abdirahman Mohamud Ahmed, also faced charges.
The restaurant has since closed, with the illicit funds used for personal luxuries like real estate and cars. Many others have been charged and convicted in the broader case.
It’s funny how stupid some of these criminals really are.
Dude was convicted for it too!
— drastic215 (@drastic215x) November 9, 2025