Nothing says "totally normal business practices" quite like registering your consulting firm at a house that keeps popping up in one of the largest federal fraud cases in recent memory. According to a new report, Rep. Ilhan Omar's sister, Sahra Noor, incorporated her company Grit Partners Consulting at a Lakeville, Minnesota residence that has some truly spectacular connections to the infamous "Feeding Our Future" fraud scandal.
For those who missed it, Feeding Our Future was the organization that sponsored meal distribution sites which then filed bogus claims for federal reimbursements during COVID. You know, when the government was basically throwing money out of a helicopter and hoping it landed somewhere useful. Spoiler alert: it did not always land somewhere useful.
The home on Hyacinth Avenue belongs to Mashah Ahmed Ali and his wife, Ister Ahmed Afraa (also known as Ismahan Ahmed Afraa). Business records show Afraa co-founded Sunrise Business Center with Hanna Marekegn, who later pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy through the child nutrition program. Marekegn's company claimed it was feeding up to 4,000 kids daily, which apparently was about as real as a unicorn riding a skateboard. Her operation siphoned roughly $7.1 million from the program, and she owes over $5.1 million back.
But wait, there's more! Afraa also incorporated Sunshine Care Center MN, which shared office space with Sunrise Business Center. State health records reportedly listed Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock as a contact for that entity. Bock received 500 months in federal prison, which is over 41 years, for masterminding the whole operation. That same Hyacinth Avenue address was also the incorporation location for Diversity Childcare Center, another organization with Bock listed as a contact.
The web gets even stickier. Afraa had connections to Sahra Mohamed Nur (a different person than Omar's sister), who ran S & S Catering and got 51 months behind bars for creating fake invoices to support fraudulent reimbursement claims. Nur was ordered to pay over $5 million in restitution.
Meanwhile, Noor's website boasts that she has "secured more than $20 million in funding for health initiatives" throughout her career and consulted on projects backed by the CDC, USAID, GAVI, and the World Bank across the U.S. and over eight African countries.
Minnesota lawmakers have been trying to dig deeper into possible connections between Omar and individuals tied to Feeding Our Future. A state House committee attempted to subpoena records from Omar back in May, but Democratic members on the committee voted that idea right into the ground.
Perhaps the most entertaining part of this whole saga is what happened when the Daily Wire contacted Ali about all the companies registered at his home. He said he had never even heard of them. "There must be some sort of scam going on, I have no idea," he told them. His wife did not respond to a text message, and Noor ghosted the outlet's request for comment entirely. Classic move when everything is totally above board and there is absolutely nothing suspicious happening whatsoever.
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