EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Hibo Daar, 50, of Eden Prairie, has been indicted on two counts of wire fraud, becoming the 71st defendant in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud case — the largest pandemic relief fraud case in the nation.
Federal prosecutors allege Daar attempted to flee the country after learning she was under FBI investigation. She was arrested Sunday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after purchasing a last-minute ticket to Dubai.
Daar served as executive director of the Minneapolis-based Northside Wellness Center, which received $1.7 million in federal child nutrition funds through Feeding Our Future between 2021 and early 2022. Her indictment claims she fraudulently requested an additional $700,000 for meals she never served — bringing the total claimed to $2.4 million.
The indictment states Daar submitted inflated meal counts and rosters with fictitious children. She also allegedly worked with a fake vendor to produce phony receipts, hiding the fact that her organization spent only $2,000 on food.
As part of the scheme, Daar allegedly paid $72,000 in kickbacks to former Feeding Our Future employee Hadith Ahmed, who has pleaded guilty and testified for the prosecution. The money was funneled through a shell company tied to Ahmed.
The Feeding Our Future case centers around the misuse of federal funds distributed through the Minnesota Department of Education to nonprofits meant to provide meals to low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors allege at least $250 million was stolen by dozens of individuals and organizations across the state.
Daar’s arrest follows renewed investigative activity, including a federal raid on the St. Paul-based New Vision Foundation last week — though that nonprofit is not linked to Daar. Her indictment marks the first new charge in the case in over a year.
After her arrest, federal prosecutors presented passport records contradicting Daar’s courtroom claim that she hadn’t traveled abroad in the last two years. Records show she had visited the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Kenya.
Daar is currently being held at Sherburne County Jail without bond as the investigation continues.
