The sixth member of a Minnesota-based Somali family implicated in a sweeping $14 million federal child nutrition fraud scheme is expected to enter a guilty or no-contest plea on Thursday, underscoring both the scale of the criminal enterprise and the troubling political ties surrounding it.
According to RedState, 2024 charges against Gandi Yusuf Mohamed allege that he used two shell companies GAK Properties LLC and GIF Properties LLC to receive and launder more than $1.1 million in illicit proceeds while submitting falsified meal counts and reimbursement claims to federal child nutrition programs. Prosecutors have accused him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering, making him the latest in a string of defendants from the same family to face accountability in federal court.
Mohameds expected plea will make him the sixth family member or close associate to admit guilt in connection with the scheme, which exploited taxpayer-funded programs intended to feed low-income children. Several of those individuals, including Mohamed, met privately in 2021 with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, where, according to contemporaneous accounts, participants pressed Ellison to "get their funding flowing again" before the discussion shifted to campaign contributions.
Shortly after that meeting, Mohamed sent Ellison a maximum campaign donation of $2,500, a contribution that now looks far more problematic in light of the criminal charges. The attorney general ultimately returned the money to the Department of Justice in 2025, but only after the fraud scandal had fully erupted and indictments were in motion.
The Mohamed family was present at what has become an infamous gathering with Ellison, during which the fraudsters openly discussed political support and financial backing. The attorney general could be heard on recordings expressing a willingness to assist with their complaints about state agencies, prompting critics to label the exchange exactly what it appears to be a quid pro quo even as Ellison insists he did nothing improper.
Oh, and as RedStates Bonchie previously reported, there are audio clips of the meeting that leave little doubt about the nature of the conversation. In those recordings, Ellison offered help to individuals who would later be convicted in the Somali fraud scheme, pledging to push back against investigations into their activities while the fraudsters, in turn, offered "votes" and "dollars."
"The only way that we can protect what we have is by inserting ourselves into the political arena. Putting our votes where it needs to be. But most importantly, putting our dollars in the right place. And supporting candidates that will fight to protect our interests," one of the Somali family members says in the recording. "That's right," Ellison replies, a response that has fueled accusations that the states top law enforcement officer was at least politically accommodating to people now exposed as major fraudsters.
The scandal has raised serious questions about political favoritism, identity politics, and the willingness of Democratic officials to overlook red flags when dealing with preferred constituencies. There is, as critics have noted, a whole cannabis dispensary-worth of smoke here, and the pattern of donations followed by political access only deepens public skepticism.
Fox News host Dana Perino has also highlighted the controversy, noting that "[Keith Ellison] is on audiotape and hes talking to the fraudsters. And he says, I want to help you, and they discuss how. They say theyre being cracked down" a description that aligns with the broader narrative of a cozy relationship between Ellison and individuals now convicted of defrauding federal programs.
Ellison, for his part, continues to insist he is blameless, using an April 2025 op-ed to portray himself as an unwitting participant in the meeting. "I took a meeting in good faith with people I didnt know, and some turned out to have done bad things. I did nothing for them and took nothing from them," he wrote, even as the timing of the $2,500 donation from Mohamed made shortly after the meeting and returned only after indictments continues to raise eyebrows.
After initially rejecting a plea deal, Gandi Mohamed the final defendant from this family group has now reversed course and is slated to plead guilty, a move that may help prosecutors further unravel the full scope of the scheme. His brother, Suleman Mohamed, pleaded guilty last week to a wire fraud charge, adding to the growing list of family members who have admitted their role in the operation.
Other relatives who have entered guilty pleas include sister Ikram Mohamed, mother Fadumo Yusuf, sister Aisha Hussein, Ikrams husband Shakur Abdisalam, and Ikrams friend Sahra Osman, illustrating how deeply the fraud network ran within a single extended family. As more details emerge, the case not only exposes a brazen abuse of federal anti-hunger programs but also highlights the dangers of political leaders prioritizing ideological alliances and demographic optics over rigorous oversight and the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
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