New developments have emerged regarding Representative Ilhan Omar, a progressive congresswoman with Somali roots, and her potential links to individuals convicted in a significant fraud case in Minnesota. While prosecutors have yet to directly implicate Omar in this scandal, she has connections to at least two individuals who have been found guilty of food fraud. The Trump administration is currently investigating whether the illicitly obtained funds were channeled to terrorist groups, including the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab. One of the key figures in this unfolding narrative is Salim Ahmed Said, who owns Safari Restaurant, the venue where Omar celebrated her 2018 election victory.

Salim Ahmed Said was convicted in March 2025 on a string of charges, including wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and money laundering. He allegedly siphoned off $5 million from a scheme that funneled money through the organization Feeding Our Future, intended for personal gain rather than the child nutrition program. Facing a lengthy prison sentence, Said is among over 70 individuals indicted in this expansive case, with 45 convictions already secured. Adding to the intrigue, Guhaad Hashi Said, a former campaign official for Omar, admitted guilt in August for operating a fraudulent food site, Advance Youth Athletic Development, and embezzling $3.2 million from the program.

Despite these revelations, Omar asserts she was completely unaware of any illegal activities. This is particularly notable as she introduced the 2020 MEALS Act, which inadvertently facilitated the $250 million fraud scheme. Her connections to the $1 billion welfare scam within her Minnesota district are gradually coming to light. In addition to potentially using funds for her victory celebration at Salim Said’s establishment, a Minnesota-based policy fellow informed the New York Post that Omar was a regular patron of the Safari Restaurant.

‘[Rep. Omar] knew who these people were. People she personally knew were making tens of millions of dollars in this program,’ claimed Bill Glahn , a policy fellow with the Center of the American Experiment. He added: ‘She had been inside the [Safari] facility on numerous occasions and couldn’t put two and two together? Either she’s terminally naive, or knew and didn’t care.’ Omar’s congressional office did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment in new revelations about the extent of her links to the convicted.

Safari restaurant allegedly received more than $16 million in funds in ‘phantom meals’ he claims was to serve millions of meals to children that were never provided. Prosecutors note that he spent the money he enriched himself with from the charity scheme on a $2 million mansion in Minneapolis and a $9,000-a-month shopping habit at Nordstrom. Additionally, Omar campaign staffer Guhaad Said claimed he served 5,000 meals every day, but was taking millions into his own coffers. He pleaded guilty to his fraud in August 2025.

He worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaign as an ‘enforcer’ overseeing an aggressive voter mobilization strategy in the Somali community in Minneapolis. Guhaad Said and Omar often attended the same events, according to Facebook photos of the pair together, including smiling selfies. Some who donated to Omar’s campaign even received fraudulent money from the food charity scam. The congresswoman received $7,400 in donations from now-convicted fraudsters. When the scandal broke in 2022, she returned those contributions.