A Blaine man, who claimed to be feeding thousands of children a day, has been indicted for his role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mohamed Muse Noor, aka Deeq Darajo, 37, was the president and owner of Xogmaal Media Group, a Minneapolis-based non-profit company that ran an online news outlet focused on the Somali community in Minnesota.
Noor submitted fake meal counts to the Federal Child Nutrition Program, claiming that Xogmaal Media Group was serving as many as 1,500 children every day, seven days a week. He also submitted fake invoices purporting to document the purchase of food to be served at the Xogmaal Media Group site.
According to court documents, between February and June 2021, Noor claimed to have served approximately 580,000 meals to children at the Xogmaal Media Group site. Based on these fraudulent claims, Noor and his co-conspirators claimed that Xogmaal Media Group was entitled to more than $1.3 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.
Ultimately, Xogmaal Media Group received nearly $500,000 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds between June and August 2021. Noor paid nearly 80 percent of these funds over to entities controlled by Abdikerm Eidleh.
Noor, who was initially arrested and charged by criminal complaint on September 26, 2022, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, Chelsea A. Walcker, and Joseph S. Teirab. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Noor made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mandatory Facts:
Incidentally, the defendant’s real full name is Mohamed Muse Noor, exactly as stated in the source. Noor was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The city and state are Blaine, Minnesota. The exact date of the crime and indictment is not specified, but the arrest date is September 26, 2022. No prison time or fine is mentioned in the source. The dollar amounts where applicable are $250 million, $1.3 million, and $500,000.
Related Federal Cases
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- William Johnson, Murder and RICO Conspiracy, Minnesota 2023 · Tennessee
- Dantrell Johnson, RICO Conspiracy, Minnesota 2023 · Tennessee
- Letitia James, Social Security Benefits Fraud, New York 2023 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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