Representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota’s 5th District has not been formally charged in connection with the extensive welfare fraud scandal currently unfolding in the state. This scandal involves fraudsters, predominantly of Somali origin, who allegedly embezzled approximately $1 billion from government nutrition initiatives such as Feeding Our Future.

While Omar is not implicated, she reportedly has close ties with some of the individuals involved in this fraudulent scheme. Her connections to at least two of the accused fraudsters have been noted:

Furthermore, one of the perpetrators was directly associated with her campaign:

It is important to highlight that Omar remains uncharged and is presumed innocent. Nevertheless, the adage “You are known by the company you keep” seems pertinent here, given her associations with individuals accused of significant criminal activities.

Another common saying is, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you who you are.”

He is facing decades in prison and is one of the more than 70 defendants charged in the sweeping case. There are 45 convictions so far.

Salim Ahmed Said, 33, is the owner of Safari Restaurant, which is where Omar held her 2018 campaign victory party. He was convicted for allegedly pocketed $5 million from the Feeding Our Future program for his own enrichment rather than for child nutrition. pic.twitter.com/OexvQSj8FW

— Geepers808 🍌 🦍 (@GeepersNFT) December 4, 2025

Another one of the thieves worked directly with her campaign:

A different Omar campaign official, a Democratic activist named Guhaad Hashi Said, pleaded guilty in August to running a fake food site called Advance Youth Athletic Development, where he falsely claimed to serve 5,000 meals a day and pocketed $3.2 million out of the food program. 

Said worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer” who oversaw aggressive voter mobilization in the Somali community, according to local Alphanews.org.

Guhaad Hashi Said, a Democrat activist and close associate of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D), has pleaded GUILTY in connection with the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Hashi reportedly ran a site under the name Advance Youth Athletic Development that falsely claimed to serve up to… pic.twitter.com/Wxj58ELbSO

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Hashi reportedly ran a site under the name Advance Youth Athletic Development that falsely claimed to serve up to 5,000 meals a day, and took an estimated $3.2 MILLION out of the food program. 

Over four dozen people have now been convicted in connection with the scam.

As I said above, Omar has not been formally accused of anything and is innocent until proven guilty. That being said, as the saying goes, “You are known by the company you keep,” and she certainly seems to be buddies with some big-time criminals.  

Another phrase goes, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are.”

The Somali community in Minnesota, estimated at 108,000, is considered tight-knit and is bound together by numerous family ties. Bill Gahn, a policy fellow with the Center of the American Experiment, alleged Omar would know many of those involved in the scandal:

[Rep. Omar] knew who these people were. People she personally knew were making tens of millions of dollars in this program.

She had been inside the [Safari] facility on numerous occasions and couldn’t put two and two together? Either she’s terminally naive, or knew and didn’t care.

Expect the investigations to ramp up and more prosecutions to come as authorities try to untangle the web of treachery. Whether Omar was directly involved or not, she and woefully inept Gov. Tim Walz failed to protect their constituents and the American people.

Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about feckless politicians like Ilhan Omar and Tim Walz.