Federal fraud charges have been revealed against a daycare owner in Minnesota. Prosecutors accuse Fahima Mahamud, owner of the now-closed Future Leaders Early Learning, of attempting to leave the country shortly after shutting down the center. Her daycare, sponsored by Feeding Our Future, allegedly claimed to feed children during the pandemic but reportedly misused the funds.
According to the charges, Mahamud faces one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States via Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The federal indictment states that while the daycare claimed it served 60,000 children monthly, invoices were falsified to justify reimbursements. Mahamud is under house arrest amid these allegations.
Between January and July 2021, the daycare allegedly collected over $850,000 from Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, funneled through Feeding Our Future. However, the indictment reveals that a minimal amount was used for purchasing food. Prosecution documents show that during 2020 and 2021, Mahamud submitted receipts suggesting meals were served to 1,000 children twice daily, all week long. From 2022 to 2025, Mahamud allegedly filed 13,000 claims for $4.6 million in reimbursements through CCAP without collecting required co-payments.
The daycare was highlighted in a viral video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley after he visited ten Minneapolis daycares, including Future Leaders Early Learning, in December. State license agents also inspected the daycare on November 10, 2025, citing the premises for not being clean and lacking children’s immunization documents.
In February, Mahamud reported the closure of her daycare center to state officials and booked a flight to London on the same day. Federal agents raided at least 20 daycares and autism centers in Minnesota this April, but it remains unclear if her center was among them. To date, approximately 100 individuals face charges regarding the Feeding Our Future scandal.
The Justice Department announced plans to conduct a press conference. It aims to discuss significant fraud-related law enforcement activities in Minnesota. The event will feature notable figures like Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.