A Kenyan faces US charges over alleged fraud involving child nutrition funds in Minnesota.
US prosecutors accuse a 54-year-old Kenyan and his co-conspirators of using false meal records to obtain child nutrition funds in Minnesota.
A 54-year-old Kenyan faces charges in the United States over alleged child feeding fraud involving more than Ksh142 million. Prosecutors say the scheme targeted the Federal Child Nutrition Programme through an organisation called Feeding Our Future.
Authorities arrested the suspect on September 30 after he spent nearly 10 months as a fugitive in Kenya. The US Department of Justice announced the prosecution on October 30, alongside other Minnesota fraud cases.
Child feeding fraud allegations centre on meal records
Prosecutors allege that the Kenyan and his co-conspirators claimed to serve more than 6,000 meals daily to children. Their claims covered two Minnesota locations over four months.
At Bilaal Mosque in Pelican Rapids, the group reported providing more than 3,000 meals each day. Meanwhile, claims for the Multicultural Resource Centre in Moorhead listed another 3,000 daily meals.
Investigators say the suspects submitted false meal counts and attendance records to obtain government reimbursements exceeding Ksh142 million. Those records formed part of the alleged scheme to access child nutrition funding.
Prosecutors also accuse the Kenyan of laundering his share through large cheque payments to himself and his son. They further allege that he used proceeds to buy property in Kenya and a car.
Separate charges target alleged student aid theft
The announcement also detailed charges against 13 people over schemes targeting federal Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme funds. It came a day after authorities announced a separate student aid prosecution involving several other Kenyans.
In that case, prosecutors allege that suspects used stolen American identities to enrol in colleges and obtain loans and grants. The alleged theft involved Ksh17 billion in federal student aid.
An international investigation, dubbed Operation Ghostbusters, uncovered the alleged network creating fraudulent student accounts to access financial assistance. The Justice Department also said investigators seized about Ksh97 million in cryptocurrency from an account belonging to a Kenyan linked to that scheme.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said the operation targeted people exploiting federal aid programmes. He also warned that authorities would pursue suspects regardless of where they operated.
