Former Mayor Frey aide sentenced in Feeding Our Future scandal

"Abdi Nur Salah and his co-conspirators used taxpayer money meant to support hungry children to buy themselves a life of luxury," an FBI official said.

Oct. 4, 2026

Abdi Nur Salah, a former aide to Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, was sentenced last week to nearly three years in federal prison for his role in Minnesota’s sprawling Feeding Our Future scandal.

The scandal takes its name from the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which sponsored meal sites throughout the state where free food for children was purportedly served.In reality, the defendants submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the federal government for meals that were never actually served.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Salah and his co-conspirators operated an organization called Stigma-Free International under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. As Alpha News previously reported, Stigma-Free International was originally formed by Democratic Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman and others before Osman transferred it to a new group of owners. Osman has not been charged in the fraud scandal.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Salah acquired Stigma-Free International in October 2020 and then transferred ownership to his co-conspirators who used it to open a number of new meal sites throughout the state.

The co-conspirators fraudulently claimed to have served nearly five million meals to children at their sites from November 2020 to November 2021 using fake attendance rosters and invoices, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Based on the fraudulent claims, Feeding Our Future paid out over $10 million in federal reimbursements to the Stigma-Free International sites, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Additionally, Salah created multiple shell companies to launder his share of the fraud proceeds —approximately $1.6 million. He used the money to purchase homes and businesses.

“Abdi Nur Salah and his co-conspirators used taxpayer money meant to support hungry children to buy themselves a life of luxury,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Benni Jonsson.

“In defrauding the Federal Child Nutrition Program of more than $1.6 million, what this defendant bought himself is a federal prison sentence. We will continue to bring fraudsters to justice and defend the American taxpayer.”

Salah was arrested twice over the summer on unrelated drug and DWI offenses.

He pleaded guilty in January 2025 in the Feeding Our Future case and is the 31st defendant to be sentenced.

“This defendant decided to steal funds meant for vulnerable children,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a Thursday statement. “Today’s sentence represents my office’s unwavering commitment to holding accountable those who defraud the American taxpayers.”

https://alphanews.org/former-mayor-frey-aide-sentenced-in-feeding-our-future-scandal/

Former Mayor Frey aide sentenced in Feeding Our Future scandal

"Abdi Nur Salah and his co-conspirators used taxpayer money meant to support hungry children to buy themselves a life of luxury," an FBI official said.

Oct. 4, 2026

Abdi Nur Salah, a former aide to Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, was sentenced last week to nearly three years in federal prison for his role in Minnesota’s sprawling Feeding Our Future scandal.

The scandal takes its name from the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which sponsored meal sites throughout the state where free food for children was purportedly served.In reality, the defendants submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the federal government for meals that were never actually served.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Salah and his co-conspirators operated an organization called Stigma-Free International under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. As Alpha News previously reported, Stigma-Free International was originally formed by Democratic Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman and others before Osman transferred it to a new group of owners. Osman has not been charged in the fraud scandal.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Salah acquired Stigma-Free International in October 2020 and then transferred ownership to his co-conspirators who used it to open a number of new meal sites throughout the state.

The co-conspirators fraudulently claimed to have served nearly five million meals to children at their sites from November 2020 to November 2021 using fake attendance rosters and invoices, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Based on the fraudulent claims, Feeding Our Future paid out over $10 million in federal reimbursements to the Stigma-Free International sites, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Additionally, Salah created multiple shell companies to launder his share of the fraud proceeds —approximately $1.6 million. He used the money to purchase homes and businesses.

“Abdi Nur Salah and his co-conspirators used taxpayer money meant to support hungry children to buy themselves a life of luxury,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Benni Jonsson.

“In defrauding the Federal Child Nutrition Program of more than $1.6 million, what this defendant bought himself is a federal prison sentence. We will continue to bring fraudsters to justice and defend the American taxpayer.”

Salah was arrested twice over the summer on unrelated drug and DWI offenses.

He pleaded guilty in January 2025 in the Feeding Our Future case and is the 31st defendant to be sentenced.

“This defendant decided to steal funds meant for vulnerable children,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a Thursday statement. “Today’s sentence represents my office’s unwavering commitment to holding accountable those who defraud the American taxpayers.”

https://alphanews.org/former-mayor-frey-aide-sentenced-in-feeding-our-future-scandal/

Germany's ex-spy chief arrested for espionage

Natalie Muller with Reuters and AFP

5 hours ago5 hours ago

August Hanning, the man who once led Germany's spy service, is now under investigation for passing on state secrets.

What else do we know about the investigation?

Police arrested Hanning early Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde near the western German city of Münster, according to information from WDR, NDR and the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Hanning's alleged accomplice, who was identified only as Manfred D. in line with Germany's privacy laws, was taken into custody in Bavaria.

Authorities were conducting searches at both suspects' properties, as well as in Berlin, the prosecutor said.

During Hanning's tenure as spy head, D. served as his chief of staff. He also subsequently worked under Hanning at the Interior Ministry until 2009.

He is facing charges of "aiding and abetting attempted treason and espionage against the state."

Marc Henrichmann, who chairs the German parliament's intelligence oversight committee, said following the arrests that Germany "will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets."

"Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out," he said in comments to the AFP news agency.

German opposition lawmaker Konstantin von Notz, also a member of the oversight committee, said the allegations were "deeply troubling" and called for a "swift and thorough investigation."

The investigation into Hanning reportedly began due to his connection to a high-profile trial involving businesswoman Christine Block.

2,000 documents allegedly handed over to Hanning

The prosecutor's office said Hanning and Manfred D. are believed to have come up with their arrangement in 2010.

From 2012 to March 2026, D. served as chief of staff to Hanning's successors at the BND spy agency, where he had access to a wealth of classified documents, according to the prosecutor's statement.

"The current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many of which contained classified information to be used exclusively by the Federal Intelligence Service for internal purposes," the statement said.

It added that D. is alleged to have provided Hanning with information until at least mid-2022, and that Hanning used that information in his private consulting work.

Hanning is also accused of being "in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D., for several years," the statement said.

The two suspects are expected to appear before an investigating judge on Tuesday and Wednesday.

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-ex-spy-chief-arrested-for-espionage/a-79560278