Fahima Mahamud
Federal prosecutors have filed the first criminal fraud case connected to Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program against a woman already charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
Fahima Egeh Mahamud now faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States after she allegedly received millions in CCAP funds without collecting required co-payments from parents.
In February, Mahamud was charged with wire fraud for her alleged involvement in the $250 million Feeding Our Future meal fraud scheme.
According to charging documents, all of Mahamud’s purported fraud activity came through her business, Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis.
During the pandemic, Future Leaders allegedly received $854,000 in Federal Child Nutrition Program reimbursements under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.
Over a three-year span from 2022 to 2025, an affidavit states Mahamud and Future Leaders submitted more than 13,000 claims through CCAP. Of those, 6,144 that required co-payments yielded $4.6 million in reimbursements.
Last month, federal authorities served 22 search warrants at autism and childcare centers around Minnesota, though Future Leaders was not one of the sites officials publicly named.
Owner of 3 childcare centers charged in separate case
A separate case filed on Wednesday alleges Jillaine Mertens, the owner of three childcare centers in Minnesota, inflated staff hours to defraud a program to support payroll for childcare providers.
Mertens operated two Creative Stars Academy locations in Rochester and Kasson as well as Tree of Life Academy in Ramsey.
From November 2024 through May 2025, Mertens is accused of inflating staff hours and filing false applications for Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program funds for at least 23 people who did not work at any of her childcare businesses. A criminal affidavit alleges she received $425,000 through filing fraudulent paperwork.
Mertens is charged with one count of wire fraud.
