Refugee Given New Life In MN Faked Kids, Bought Porsche, And Tried To Flee With Millions

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — He came to the United States as a Somalian refugee, received housing and education, then faked rosters of kids named "Serious Problem" and "Britishy Melony" to steal millions in pandemic aid.

With the cash, he bought luxury cars, lakefront land, and more.

When the feds closed in, he lied to get a new passport and booked a one-way flight out of Minnesota.

After his conviction, he even attempted to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash.

Now, Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, is headed to federal prison for 28 years. He was also ordered to pay $47.9 million in restitution.

This sentence does not include time for the juror bribery scheme. He still faces additional prison time in that case.

In imposing the 28-year sentence, Judge Brasel explained the defendant "came to this country as a refugee" and that "many of the opportunities" in Farah’s life came through public agencies and non-profit organizations, noting that Farah received housing, school, a full-tuition college grant, and worked in the public sector.

"Given that background, it is ironic at best that, as the government aimed no child went hungry during the pandemic, you saw the opportunity to fraudulently make money."

In arguing for a long sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said, "This country gave Farah everything. A home. Citizenship. A free college education. After that he went on to public employment with the state of Minnesota. And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind."

Farah played a leading role in the Minnesota-based Feeding Our Future scandal, the largest COVID-19 fraud case in the country.

He and his co-conspirators defrauded federal child nutrition programs by pretending to serve 18 million meals to children during the pandemic.

Prosecutors say they set up more than 30 fake food distribution sites, many of which were nothing more than parking lots or vacant commercial spaces.

They submitted phony invoices and fake rosters filled with made-up names. Farah helped direct stolen taxpayer money to co-conspirators and paid bribes and kickbacks to nonprofit employees to keep the scheme going.

In June 2024, after a seven-week trial, he was convicted on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal programs bribery, money laundering, and passport fraud.

Farah personally pocketed more than $8 million in just 18 months. He bought five luxury vehicles, including a Porsche, a Tesla, and a GMC truck, spending more than $300,000 on cars alone.

He used $4.2 million to buy real estate in Minnesota and Kentucky, including two lakefront lots where he planned to build a multimillion-dollar home.

He also purchased real estate in Kenya, including a high-rise apartment building in Nairobi, and laundered money through China. Authorities say the overseas assets are likely out of reach.

In January 2022, federal agents executed search warrants and seized Farah’s passport. Although he hired an attorney and was told he was a target of the investigation, Farah went to the Minneapolis Passport Agency two months later and falsely claimed his passport was lost.

He received a new one and soon purchased a one-way ticket to Kenya, where he owned property. Law enforcement moved quickly to charge him with passport fraud and arrested him before he could leave the country.

After his conviction in 2024, Farah and several others tried to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash in exchange for a not guilty verdict. He has pleaded guilty in that separate case and will be sentenced later.