A 65-year-old Columbia Heights man is headed to federal prison for his role in the Feeding Our Future meal-fraud case, a scheme that prosecutors say turned kids' nutrition money into a personal payday. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Abdullahe Nur Jesow to 43 months behind bars, ordered him to pay $866,458 in restitution, and imposed two years of supervised release after his prison term. Jesow had already admitted to a money-laundering charge tied to a Lake Street meal site that, according to prosecutors, claimed millions in federal reimbursements for meals that never actually made it to children.
The sentence came down in a Minneapolis federal courtroom, where Judge Brasel said Jesow's actions "severely undermined public trust in government programs and in the government itself," according to reporting from KARE 11. That same report notes the 43-month prison term and the restitution figure, and court filings indicate Jesow will report to prison once the Bureau of Prisons and probation officials sort out the logistics.
Guilty plea and phantom meals
Jesow pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2025, to a single count of money laundering, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say he was tied to Academy For Youth Excellence, a Lake Street operation that listed Benadir Hall as its distribution point. That site claimed it was serving more than 1.7 million meals and, on paper, qualified for $4,286,088 in federal Child Nutrition Program reimbursements. Authorities say the reality was far smaller, and that the group propped up its numbers with fabricated meal counts, attendance rosters, and invoices.
How the money allegedly flowed
According to prosecutors, Jesow collected roughly 5% of the reimbursement money and then laundered most of those proceeds back to co-conspirators through a mix of checks and cash payments. Court records and coverage from KARE 11 indicate that some of the diverted funds helped pay for personal expenses, including a home in Columbia Heights. The court ultimately ordered $866,458 in restitution as part of Jesow's sentence. Earlier reporting on his admission in the case is available in this earlier guilty-plea coverage.
A slice of a $240 million scandal
Jesow's punishment is just one chapter in a sprawling federal investigation into alleged abuse of child-nutrition programs during the pandemic. Prosecutors have said the broader Feeding Our Future scheme diverted more than $240 million in reimbursements that were supposed to help feed children in need. According to The Department of Justice, federal authorities, including the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, have stacked up dozens of convictions and asset-forfeiture wins in related cases. Several defendants have already received multi-year prison sentences and hefty restitution orders as courts try to claw back misused funds.
What comes next for Jesow
Once Jesow reports to federal custody, he will serve his 43 months in prison before transitioning to two years of supervised release, all while beginning restitution payments to the government. Prosecutors say the broader case is still active, with more prosecutions and forfeiture efforts likely as investigators track down remaining assets. For people in Columbia Heights and across the Twin Cities, the continuing stream of sentencings is a pointed reminder of how much pandemic relief money was allegedly siphoned away, and of the government's ongoing push to hold those responsible to account.
