Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have notched another conviction in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota says a Golden Valley man has admitted to his role in the massive fraud scheme. According to court documents, 40-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Artan was accused of acquiring a nonprofit entity in order to enroll it in the federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prosecutors Say he Claimed His Organizations Served More Than 5 Meals to Children

Prosecutors say Artan and co-conspirators used the entity, Stigma-Free International, to open feeding sites around the state, including locations in Mankato, St. Cloud, Willmar, Waite Park, and St. Paul. It was also alleged that they created shell companies that purportedly provided the meals served at the sites. Artan was accused of fraudulently claiming to have served nearly 5 million meals to children between November 2020 and November 2021.

He was also accused of operating another feeding site under a different organization in Mankato that submitted fraudulent reimbursement claims, including a claim of serving 3,000 meals per day, seven days a week, between September 2020 and September 2021. Court documents also detail allegations involving a third entity that fraudulently claimed to serve nearly 700,000 meals to children in Golden Valley and Waite Park from March through December 2021.

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According to federal prosecutors, his fraudulent activities resulted in the loss of nearly $1.7 million in federal child nutrition program funds.

During a hearing at the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis today, Artan entered a guilty plea to a wire fraud charge. He is the 46th person convicted in the case. A total of 72 people have been charged.

Artan’s sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.