30-year prison sentence in Minnesota child food programme fraud that drew Trump backlash

A man who played a key role in defrauding a United States federal food programme in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic — claiming to feed needy children — has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. The case has drawn intense national scrutiny and political pressure from President Donald Trump.

The sentenced man is Salim Said, 37, who operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis. He was accused of vastly overstating the number of meals when seeking payment for providing food to needy children. The government said he was responsible for 44 million dollars in fraud, some of which was committed by others he recruited.

Handing down the sentence, US District Judge Nancy Brasel said: "You took more than taxpayers' dollars to enrich yourself. You took the reputation of our state down with you."

Prosecutors said in a court filing that Said was claiming a "ridiculous daily distribution of 6,000 meals" while FBI cameras showed 40 people a day collecting food. "The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie," prosecutors said.

Said, who was born in Somalia, denied the allegations while testifying at his 2025 trial, saying many meals were delivered off site. But he changed course and expressed remorse at his sentencing on Wednesday.

Defence lawyer Barry Zone, who had asked for a 12-year prison sentence, disputed the government's claim that Said was the "architect" of the fraud.

COVID-19 brought changes to a federal programme that typically fed children through schools. Restaurants could participate, and food distribution was extended to places outside schools.

According to prosecutors, "For 21 consecutive months, Said made thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims. Each submission represented meals purportedly provided to underprivileged children, yet the listed children themselves were entirely fictitious."

The government said Said used the stolen funds to buy a 1.2 million dollar home, commercial real estate and an 87,000 dollar pickup truck.

Said was convicted in 2025 alongside Aimee Bock, leader of the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future. She is serving a 42-year prison sentence for devising the scheme and was ordered to repay 242 million dollars.

State auditors found that Minnesota's education department received numerous complaints about Feeding Our Future but often told the group to police itself. Following relentless criticism from Trump over theft in federally funded programmes, Governor Tim Walz announced in January that he would not run for re-election.