by David Lindfield
Several prominent Minnesota Democrats, including statewide officials and local leaders, received campaign contributions from individuals who were later charged in what prosecutors describe as the largest welfare fraud scheme in U.S. history.
According to reporting from the New York Post, more than $53,000 in stolen taxpayer money was funneled to the campaigns of Minnesota Democrats as political donations.
The funds are associated with the Feeding Our Future scandal, a scheme that allegedly siphoned off more than $250 million in taxpayer-funded federal child nutrition funds.
Key Minnesota Democrats Received Contributions Linked to Fraud Defendants
Among the recipients listed in campaign finance records:
Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison accepted $10,000 in donations from businessmen later implicated in the FBI’s sweeping investigation.
One donor, Gandi Mohamed, gave the maximum $2,500 to Ellison’s reelection campaign and was subsequently indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges.
Ellison reportedly received three additional maxed-out $2,500 contributions from fraudsters connected to Feeding Our Future.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) received contributions from individuals tied to the “nonprofit.”
She also sponsored legislation that expanded access to federal nutrition funds, the same program allegedly exploited in the scheme, according to public records and contemporaneous reporting.
Omar’s bill made most of the fraudulent scheme possible.
Jeremiah Ellison, a Democrat Minneapolis City Council member and Keith Ellison’s son, received $3,000.