Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Pleads Guilty in Fraud Scheme

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) –Two more defendants pleaded guilty for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to court documents, from about April 2020 through January 2022, 38-year-old Abdulkadir Nur Salah of Columbia Heights, and 37-year-old Abdi Nur Salah of St. Paul knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need.

Abdulkadir Nur Salah was co-owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Abdi Nur Salah registered Stigma-Free International, a non-profit used to carry out the fraud scheme with sites throughout Minnesota, including in Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Paul.

Abdi Salah also worked for the City of Minneapolis as a Senior Policy Aide to the Mayor.

As part of their plea agreement, each defendant agreed that a variety of assets and money were acquired specifically from their fraud scheme and are subject to forfeiture to the United States.