A Minneapolis man connected to a large pandemic-era scheme that claimed to feed children has been sentenced to federal prison, ordered to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars, and identified as part of a broader investigation into fraud against a child nutrition program.
Federal prosecutors say Abdullahe Nur Jesow received a 43-month prison sentence and will serve two years of supervised release after his role in a scheme tied to the federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced the sentence, which follows a guilty plea and a long-running criminal probe. The sentence aims to hold accountable those who allegedly diverted taxpayer funds intended for children.
Judicial records show Jesow was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $866,458 as part of the judgment against him. Authorities say he purported to operate a meal distribution site at Benadir Hall, an event space on Lake Street in Minneapolis, under the banner of a nonprofit called Academy for Youth Excellence. Court filings identify Jesow as Secretary of that nonprofit while the operation was supposedly serving children during the pandemic.
Between December 2020 and September 2021, Academy for Youth Excellence reported serving over 1.7 million meals at Benadir Hall, a claim investigators later found to be grossly inflated. In reality, the nonprofit delivered only a fraction of those meals, according to charging documents and government statements. The discrepancy between claimed and actual meal counts is central to the government’s case and to the funds that changed hands during that period.
Those fraudulent meal claims translated into significant federal payments: Academy for Youth Excellence and its alleged food vendor, S&S Catering, received $4,286,088 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Prosecutors contend that rather than using the money to feed children, Jesow and others diverted portions of those funds for personal benefit. Among the alleged misuses of proceeds was the purchase of a home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, an acquisition investigators tied to the scheme.
Jesow was one of eight defendants named in a 23-count indictment in September 2022, a case that brought multiple charges against figures linked to the operation. He pleaded guilty on September 18, 2025, to one count of money laundering, admitting his role in moving proceeds from the scheme. Today’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel, who noted the broader consequences of the offense and the breach of trust involved.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Brasel observed that the defendant’s brazen fraud “severely undermined public trust in government programs and in the government itself.” That line was part of the court’s reasoning for a substantial term of incarceration and the financial penalties imposed. The comment underscored how prosecutors framed the offense not merely as theft from a program but as an attack on the integrity of public assistance systems.
“The sentence handed down today should be a clear message to those who would seek to enrich themselves by defrauding critical child nutrition programs,” said FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. The FBI described the sentence as the result of a coordinated investigation that targeted exploitation of emergency relief programs. Investigators have emphasized their commitment to pursuing individuals who exploit programs meant to protect vulnerable populations.
The case was developed through a multiagency probe involving the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, agencies that pooled resources and expertise to trace funds and documents. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota handled the criminal case in court, seeking both accountability and restitution for taxpayers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline and Matthew C. Murphy led the prosecution, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune managed seizure and forfeiture matters tied to the underlying assets.
The sentence and restitution order close one chapter of a larger investigation into pandemic-era fraud, but officials say work continues to untangle related transactions and to pursue remaining defendants where charges remain pending. Victim compensation through restitution is intended to return funds to the federal programs that were targeted, even as courts process the criminal consequences. Community leaders and program administrators have urged vigilance and tighter oversight to reduce the risk of similar abuses in the future.
