Five thousand children a day. That is what one Minneapolis restaurant billed the government for feeding in the summer of 2020.
The FBI put a camera on the place and counted about FORTY people a day.
Wednesday a federal judge gave the owner thirty years.
His name is Salim Said. He ran the Safari Restaurant in south Minneapolis, and prosecutors called him the undisputed architect of Feeding Our Future, the $250 million scheme that billed the federal child nutrition program for meals that were never served.
Before Covid, Safari did about $600,000 a year in business. In the two years after, it collected more than $16 million in federal child nutrition money. He bought a $1.2 million house with an indoor basketball court and an $87,000 pickup truck.
At trial he told the jury, "If you're making good food, people will come to you." Forty did.
When Minnesota's Department of Education got suspicious, Feeding Our Future sued the state for discrimination to keep the checks moving. State auditors later found the department had been getting complaints about the nonprofit and often told it to police itself. Tim Walz, the governor through all of it, announced in January he would not run again as the fraud scandal grew.
The judge told Said Wednesday, "You took the reputation of our state down with you."
Nobody needed a forensic accountant to catch this. Somebody just had to stand outside and count. 💎
Good morning welcome to Tippetty tap tap Thursday
By the way, I’m wearing the smile you gave me.
Never underestimate a little kindness.
You might just be the reason someone smiles today.
And what a lovely thought that is.
I want to see Mary Peltola of Alaska arrested immediately for election rigging.
Even the NYT said the proof is there.
Why do these people keep getting away with the detrimental harm they are doing to our country?
♥️ Night night, sweet dreamies. ♥️
You’ve survived days you thought would break you and found strength you never knew you had.
If life feels heavy tonight, remember your story isn’t finished. Brighter days are still waiting to find you.
Please don’t give up on yourself.
BREAKING: A top Abdul El-Sayed staffer, admits on a secret camera that Abdul is lying to Union members about being allowed to keep their private healthcare.
Only three Black Americans have ever been elected governor, and all three were Democrats.
Byron Donalds and John James could change that next week, and Nicki Minaj is backing both.
The same media that loves a historic first suddenly can't seem to find this story.
Good morning and welcome to Whiskers Wednesday
Don’t let the fear of what might go wrong stop you from discovering what could go wonderfully right.
Life was never meant to be spent safely anchored in one place.