56th defendant pleads guilty to role in Feeding Our Future fraud scheme

A man who fraudulently received and laundered more than $4 million in taxpayer funds has pleaded guilty to his role in the sprawling Feeding Our Future scheme.

Abdullahe Nur Jesow, 65, was set to stand trial next month but now becomes the 56th defendant to enter a guilty plea in what federal prosecutors have called the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme in the country.

According to charging documents, Jesow and his co-conspirators submitted paperwork purporting to serve meals to thousands of children seven days a week from a site called “Academy for Youth Excellence” operating out of a banquet hall.

From December 2020 to September 2021, Academy for Youth Excellence claimed to have served 1.7 million meals and received $4.3 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Jesow personally received 5% of that money and distributed the rest to his co-conspirators.

Jesow pleaded guilty to money laundering and will face sentencing at a later date.
The post 56th defendant pleads guilty to role in Feeding Our Future fraud scheme first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.