A former campaign operative for Representative Ilhan Omar (D‑MN) has pleaded guilty to participating in a sweeping COVID‑era food fraud conspiracy, adding to the swirl of controversy around the congresswoman’s political orbit.

Federal prosecutors confirmed that 49-year-old Guhaad Hashi Said—described by some local outlets as an “enforcer” for Omar’s campaign—admitted in court to a federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stem from a scheme that targeted the federal child nutrition program, which was expanded during the pandemic to help vulnerable families.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson characterized the case as emblematic of the wider abuse of public trust. “These crimes are not isolated events,” Thompson said in a statement. “They are part of a web of schemes targeting programs intended to lift up Minnesotans and bleeding them dry.” He went on to call the fraud occurring in Minnesota “staggering” and warned that uncovering its full scope will require sustained, coordinated effort.

The court documents sketch out how Said misused federal funds between December 2020 and January 2022. During that time, he claimed that his nonprofit, Advance Youth Athletic Development, was supplying thousands of meals a day to underprivileged children. That nonprofit—registered in February 2021—has an address linked to a residential apartment in the Central Avenue Lofts in Minneapolis.

Beginning in March 2021, prosecutors allege, Said submitted inflated meal count reports that claimed he was serving up to 5,000 meals daily. Over the course of that year, he asserted that his organization delivered over one million meals. In reality, the records show, only a small fraction of that number was ever delivered. Said reportedly falsified attendance rosters, invoices, and meal counts to secure federal reimbursements.

Altogether, the scheme is estimated to have generated nearly $2.9 million in federal funds. Between August and December 2021 alone, more than $2.1 million was transferred from Said’s nonprofit accounts to a catering business he controlled, purportedly to cover food purchases. Meanwhile, other proceeds were diverted through an array of shell nonprofits and LLCs and used to buy real estate, vehicles, and personal items.

If convicted on the maximum allowable sentence, Said faces up to 25 years in federal prison. Before his involvement in this fraud, he had made an unsuccessful run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018.

Though Omar has not been indicted in relation to the Feeding Our Future scandal, the guilty plea underscores the mounting pressure around individuals close to her circle. The case also connects to other recent indictments that have rippled through Minnesota politics.

One such defendant is Muna Wais Fidhin of Savage, Minnesota. A federal grand jury recently charged Fidhin with submitting a fraudulent claim of roughly $1 million in reimbursements tied to the child nutrition program. She allegedly ran two fictitious meal distribution sites as part of the larger fraud network. Fidhin marked the 75th person to face charges in the sprawling case since its public emergence in September 2022.

Fateh, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) state senator running for mayor of Minneapolis, returned a $1,000 campaign contribution from Fidhin after the indictment became public. Fateh insisted that he was unaware of Fidhin’s alleged involvement until the charge was unsealed and has denied any personal ties. In 2022, he also returned contributions from multiple individuals who were later implicated in the same investigation.

Similarly, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey returned campaign donations after some of his donors were identified in search warrants tied to the Feeding Our Future probe. In both cases, the pattern reveals how deeply the fraud case has seeped into local political networks.

This latest conviction highlights the vulnerabilities of emergency-era programs. While pandemic relief efforts reached millions in need, the expansion of programs also created additional avenues for exploitation. Critics say these cases point to insufficient oversight, especially when trillions in federal funds are channeled quickly in response to a crisis.

For the Democratic Party, the headlines complicate efforts to portray itself as the champion of social safety nets and equitable governance. While Omar herself remains legally uninvolved in the case, the repeated proximity of wrongdoing to her political circle invites political risk and public scrutiny.

As federal prosecutors continue to unravel the Feeding Our Future network, more names may come to light—especially those connected to campaigns, nonprofits, and local political operations. Whether this latest guilty plea is a self-contained act or part of a broader collapse remains to be seen.

Across Minnesota and beyond, that question now looms larger: how many more ties to political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and elected officials might be waiting in the wings of this massive fraud investigation? And how much damage will the revelations do to public trust in government and those who serve it?