A Big Lake woman has copped to her role in a $250 million scam that preyed on a federal child nutrition program amid the pandemic. Sharon Denise Ross, the erstwhile leader of a so-called charity, admitted to wire fraud after officials claimed she faked serving up nearly 900,000 meals to hungry kids.
Ross, 53, who directed the House of Refuge Twin Cities, a non-profit ensnared within Feeding Our Future's network, gamed the system from September 2021 to February 2022, according to a U.S. Attorney's office statement. She claimed her org dished out grub at a dozen spots linked to Brava Café in Minneapolis, hauling in about $2.4 million off imaginary meals.
Investigators say the cash went to Ross' relatives and a lifestyle far from charitable. The Minnesota madam allegedly blew the bucks on beach breaks, blackjack tables, a Timberwolves game skybox, and a house. Ross' jackpot joyride came to a halt after she became the 17th defendant to plead guilty in the jaw-dropping Feeding Our Future fraud case.
Ross appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel, admitting to one count of wire fraud. While the scam queen awaits her fate with a sentencing date TBD, the probe rolls on. The FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are digging deeper into the multi-million-dollar con. The case is being prosecuted by a squad of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, led by Joseph H. Thompson, Chelsea A. Walcker, Matthew S. Ebert, and Harry M. Jacobs, who laid out the scheme in court.
