Salim Said, a convicted fraudster with ties to Ilhan Omar of the Democratic “Squad”, lived like a king when he talked about a government program aimed at feeding poor children.
She packed her 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom Minneapolis mansion with designer handbags, Italian shoes, and luxury watches worth up to $60,000.
Now the feds want it all back.
Prosecutors are asking a judge to authorize the government to seize the assets so that the former Somali restaurant owner – who was convicted of conspiracy in the Feeding our Future campaign – can pay at least a fraction of the proposed $7.8 million judgment against him.
The loot that came to light was included in the books of two prosecutors who were brought to court last week.
The list of luxury items includes a 2021 Mercedes GLA -Class car and a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado SUV, a $14,000 Rolex Submariner watch, and a Brunello Cucinelli shearling coat worth up to $10,000, based on a list reviewed by The Post.
She also had an impressive array of designer handbags, including an $800 Prada Monochrome Tote, a $2,800 Burberry trench coat, and a multi-thousand dollar luxury shoe.
The footwear group includes items such as $1,600 Christian Laboutin boots and $900 Balenciaga Speed Graffiti sneakers.
Prosecutors also want to freeze Said’s five bank accounts worth $514,000 and seize his $1.3 million home in Minnesota and $3 million in commercial property in Columbus, Ohio, as well as shipments of handbags, electronics and perfume.
It’s all ill-gotten gains, prosecutors argued in a hearing before Said’s sentencing in March, where they said he spent $9,000 a month at Nordstrom’s.
He, 37, received $16 million in federal funding for his restaurant to provide food to children during the COVID-19 crisis. He was convicted in March of stealing more than $12 million by serving 3.9 million meals, and was convicted of 21 counts including fraud and bribery.
His trial was marked by a brazen bribery attempt that gained international attention – when a Hallmark gift bag filled with $120,000 was delivered to the judge’s home the night before the panel was due to appear in court to hear arguments.
Omar is not accused of wrongdoing in the $9 billion Minnesota health care fraud. However, he has many relationships with Said.
He owned the now-defunct Safari restaurant, which hosted Omar’s 2018 victory summit party. The two owners of the Safari donated $4,700 to Omar’s campaign, according to FEC records.
As the Feeding our Future scam continues in 2020, Omar even appeared in a video at Safari Restaurant to praise the program, boasting about donation numbers that turned out to be fake.
“Every day, Safari provides 2,300 meals to children and their families,” he boasted in Somali in the video, as he was filmed carrying trays of food in a parking lot with his pandemic-era facemask pulled down his nose.
It was Somali-born Omar who introduced the law – the MEALS Act – which critics say paved the way for fraud, loosening oversight of government-sponsored child feeding programs during the violence.
Omar’s finances came under scrutiny after he made a revelation at a conference that revealed a sudden jump in his net worth from less than $30 million.
Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
