The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota is citing a recent exodus of top prosecutors in that office in a motion to delay the trial of a defendant in the sprawling fraud investigation of Feeding Our Future.
The motion for a continuance, filed Monday afternoon, seeks to push back the trial of Abdirahman Ahmed, who was among several people charged with money laundering in 2022.
A jury convicted one of Ahmed’s business partners, Salim Said, along with Feeding Our Future’s founder, Aimee Bock, last year.
Now the government says it will not be able to “adequately prepare” for Ahmed’s trial in June.
The motion cites another upcoming trial of seven defendants in April as well as “significant staffing changes” at the U.S. Attorney’s Office earlier this year.
Top prosecutor Joe Thompson and several others quit in January. A New York Times report said the attorneys resigned amid pressure to…
PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.