A woman implicated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been indicted on two counts of wire fraud. The indictment follows her attempt to leave the United States for Dubai, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Hibo Daar, 50, operated Northside Wellness Center and applied to use it as a food distribution site under the federal child nutrition program in 2020. She claimed to have served thousands of meals weekly from a Minneapolis location but allegedly inflated meal counts using false invoices and attendance rosters. Over $2.4 million in reimbursement claims were submitted by her site, with more than $1.7 million received in taxpayer dollars going mostly to family and associates instead of purchasing food.
Daar reportedly paid $72,000 in bribes to an employee of Feeding Our Future to ensure her fraudulent claims were processed. She was apprehended at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport before boarding a flight to Dubai and remains in custody pending a detention hearing on May 30.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kirkpatrick stated, “As we have said, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is not stopping…Our work is not done.” Special Agent Alvin M. Winston Sr., FBI Minneapolis, emphasized that such fraud takes money from taxpayers and promised continued efforts against such crimes.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier.
An indictment remains an allegation until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
