Latest Feeding Our Future Defendant Claimed 6,000 Daily Meals In Town Of 2,600 People: Feds

MINNESOTA — A Pelican Rapids and Moorhead nonprofit operator is now the 78th person charged in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment.

Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Abdirashid Bixi Dool participated in the scheme by operating two fake meal sites and stealing more than $1 million intended to feed children during the pandemic.

Dool made his initial appearance Monday in federal court.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dool co-operated and served on the boards of two Minnesota nonprofits, Bilaal Mosque Inc. and Multicultural Resource Center Inc. (MRC), and served as president of MRC.

Through those organizations, prosecutors say Dool and a second person identified only as "Conspirator A" participated in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.

The pair claimed to operate the Bilaal food site in Pelican Rapids and the MRC food site in Moorhead, and reported serving more than 40,000 meals per week, authorities said.

At the Pelican Rapids site alone, Dool claimed to serve 6,000 meals every day, seven days a week, more than double the entire population of the entire town, according to prosecutors.

The indictment states that Dool submitted fraudulent invoices and phony meal rosters to support the false claims.

Despite receiving about $1.1 million between March 2021 and February 2022, prosecutors said that "little of this money" went toward food purchases.

Instead, they say Dool and Conspirator A laundered most of the funds to themselves and their families, authorities said. According to the charges, Dool used his share of the proceeds on travel and real estate in Minnesota.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case.