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Third Feeding our Future defendant pleads guilty
A fourth defendant from the same indictment is scheduled to plead later this month, leaving just one remaining person in the next trial.
MINNEAPOLIS — Shafi’i Tutoring & Homework Help Center in Hopkins existed before the pandemic.
But the nonprofit’s president, Khadra Abdi, admits that in 2021 with the help of Aimee Bock, the executive director of Feeding our Future, she registered the after-school center as a meal site and claimed to serve 1.1 million meals to needy children.
On Friday, Abdi pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting to stealing $3.4 million in federal child nutrition money.
She admitted claiming to receive food from Sambusa King, located in the same Hopkins strip, which was owned at the time by Abdulkadir Awale. He pleaded guilty last year, admitting he stole more than $2 million.
The man at the top of this particular indictment is Haji Salad, whose Facebook page shows video from 2021 giving bags of groceries to a number of cars lined up in Brooklyn Park.
But yesterday he pleaded guilty, admitting he greatly inflated the numbers, claiming he was the food vendor for 15 million meals, good for $11.4 million he spent on real estate and luxury vehicles.
The other defendant to plead guilty this week is Sharmarke Issa, who was appointed by Mayor Jacob Frey as the board chair of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority in 2019.
Issa admits taking $3.5 million, claiming to have served 2.3 million phony meals.
Late Friday, one of the two remaining defendants in this group scheduled a hearing to plead guilty at the end of the month. That just leaves one defendant scheduled for trial in November, which makes a potential plea deal more likely.
After that, the next Feeding our Future fraud trial on the calendar is the big one in February featuring Aimee Bock.
The Sheriff’s Offices in Clay and Norman counties both responded to incidents of hunters being injured by guns.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hunting can be just as dangerous for humans as it is for deer in Minnesota’s woods and this weekend, during Minnesota Firearms Deer Hunting Opener, two hunters were seriously hurt in separate incidents in Clay and Norman counties.
According to a press release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, just before 8 a.m. on Saturday officers were called to the area of 4600 90th Avenue North in rural Moorhead. Reports said a man was struck by gunfire while hunting.
When officers arrived in the area they found a 34-year-old man from Dilworth had been shot in the head. Crews on scene gave the man first aid until ambulance crews arrived and took the man to Sanford Hospital by Airmed.
Just a few hours later, around 10:45, the Norman County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a hunting accident north of Perley in Lee Township.
Officers arrived in the area and learned a 37-year-old man had been shot once. Police described his wounds as “non-life-threatening” and took the man to a Fargo hospital in an ambulance.
Officials have not released any other details about either case and both incidents are still under investigation as of Sunday morning.
Less than two weeks ago, Shroyer’s wife was arrested in connection to his death. The couple shared five children.
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Two more people have been arrested in connection to the death of a Minnesota man serving as a missionary in Angola with his family.
Beau Shroyer, 44, of Detroit Lakes, was killed on Friday, Oct. 25. According to Lakes Area Vineyard Church Pastor Troy Easton, Shroyer’s wife was arrested a few days later in connection with his death.
An Angolan news source, Angop, wrote that on Thursday, Nov. 7, two men were arrested in southern Angola, also in connection with Shroyer’s death. The couple’s housekeeper, who officials think was in a relationship with Shroyer’s wife was arrested on Oct. 29 and a second person was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Officials are still searching for a third suspect.
The two men were brought to Angola’s capital, Lubango, by the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC). The agency revealed details of the case, including allegations that Shroyer’s wife hired the three men to kill her husband in exchange for $50,000. Manuel Halaiwa, a lead investigator with SIC, said the motives for the killing were “strong suspicions of a romantic relationship between the person who ordered the crime and accomplice, the guard at the couple’s residence.”
He said they believed Shrovyer’s wife didn’t want to leave Angola when her husband’s mission ended, according to Angop’s reporting.
Authorities noted that all three of the suspected men have a criminal record, including robbery with a firearm and kidnapping.
Halaiwa officials believe the three men got $400 to prepare for the crime and they were told they’d get another $9,000 when they were done. On the day of the alleged crime, officials said, the suspects rented a car and drove to a remote location. They pretended the vehicle had broken down and when Shroyer attempted to help them, they killed him, according to SIC.
The American embassy is monitoring the SIC’s process and authorities are in contact with other family members, officials said to Angop.
SIM USA, the missionary service overseeing Shroyer’s work in Africa, released a statement, saying in part:
“The global SIM community is heartbroken over the death of our friend and colleague Beau Shroyer, who was killed in a violent criminal attack in Angola on Friday, October 25.
SIM is grateful to Angolan law enforcement for their diligence in investigating this matter and encourages patience and respect for all involved as the legal process unfolds. SIM remains committed to supporting the ongoing pursuit of justice for Beau and has taken steps to ensure that Jackie has appropriate legal representation.
The SIM USA leadership team is working closely with the SIM team in Angola and with the Shroyers’ home church, Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to care for the Shroyers’ five children and everyone else affected by this tragedy. We continue to keep them all in our prayers.
Out of respect for the ongoing investigation and those experiencing unimaginable grief and loss during this time, SIM is unable to provide further comment.”
Pastor Troy Easton previously said in a letter Shroyer and his wife shared five children, all of whom are reportedly being “well cared for” in the wake of their father’s death and mother’s arrest.
KARE 11 has reached out to Lakes Area Vineyard Church for more information.
“It’s clear that people are really wanting something like this,” Seth Anderson-Matz with Queermunity said.
MINNEAPOLIS — Queermunity, a dedicated resource center space for the LGBTQ+ community has officially opened its doors in Uptown. Located above Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Queermunity is open to all.
“We’re here and we’re ready for people to use these resources,” Seth Anderson-Matz, outreach and partnerships manager, said.
The space features office rentals, desk rentals, co-working rooms, a coffee shop, a library and more.
“It’s really clear that the community is really thirsty for a place like this, now more than ever, of course, to have a place to to find connection and resources and to be together as a community,” he continued.
Anderson-Matz says he believes this is the first all-ages space like this of it’s kind in the Twin Cities. Queermunity also serves two purposes, he says – a unifier in multiple ways.
That includes unifying the community, and serving as a draw for the community to come to Uptown.
“We say we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to put all the wheels on the same truck,” Anderson-Matz said.
“We’re really here for the renaissance and revitalization of the area,” he continued.
That unifying message was important for many we spoke with Saturday.
“Local communities need to be built and supported and sustained,” Petty Treason said. “And so seeing more local in Uptown, I just think it makes us all feel seen, you know?”
“It was a really refreshing experience to walk into a group of people and just know that I felt safe and calm and excited to be here,” she continued.
Queermunity is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
