Abdi Nur Salah

Stone Bridge Development LLC: fraud proceeds vehicle; Oct 29 2021 — $386K cashier's check ($200K traceable to FOF) used with Sharmarke Issa to buy 2529 12th Ave S Minneapolis; $343K seized from Star Choice CU

Stone Bridge Development LLC was a Minnesota entity controlled by Abdi Nur Salah with an account at Star Choice Credit Union. From approximately February through May 2021, the LLC received fraudulently obtained federal nutrition funds. On October 29, 2021, Abdi and his business partner Sharmarke Issa received a $386,000 cashier's check from Stone Bridge Development, of which $200,000 was traceable to Feeding Our Future payments. They used this check to purchase a 4-unit apartment building at 2529 12th Ave S, Minneapolis (Phillips neighborhood) for approximately $390,000. Assets subject to forfeiture included $343,418.98 seized from Star Choice Credit Union (Stone Bridge Development account).

Forfeited 2 properties: 2529 12th Ave S Minneapolis (4-unit, co-owned with Sharmarke Issa) and 8432 Noble Ave N Brooklyn Park

Properties forfeited by Abdi Nur Salah at guilty plea: (1) 2529 12th Ave S, Minneapolis MN — 4-unit apartment in Phillips neighborhood, co-purchased with Sharmarke Issa; (2) 8432 Noble Ave N, Brooklyn Park MN. Both purchased with fraud proceeds from Stone Bridge Development LLC.

Abdi Nur Salah registered/controlled Stigma-Free International (EIN 84-2742004); originally founded by Jamal Osman; transferred to Abdi Oct 2020; fraud vehicle for $10M+ in fake food-site claims

Abdi Nur Salah registered Stigma-Free International Inc. (EIN 84-2742004) in Minnesota. The nonprofit was originally incorporated in August 2019 by Jamal Osman, Ilo Amba (Osman's wife), and two others. After Osman's election to City Council in 2020, he emailed Abdi Nur Salah the nonprofit's incorporation and financial documents, enabling Abdi to change the board, install a new chairman, open a new bank account, and transfer control. The nonprofit then became a vehicle for fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program claims with sites in Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Paul, netting over $10 million.

Oct 15 2020: Abdi Nur Salah used documents emailed by Jamal Osman to replace Stigma-Free International board and bank account; filed new MN SOS incorporation paperwork

Just days after Osman took his name off Stigma-Free International's incorporation documents in October 2020, Abdi Nur Salah used the corporate documents Osman had emailed him to change the nonprofit's board of directors, assign a new chairman, assign a new bank account, and transfer ownership. New paperwork was filed with Minnesota SOS on October 15, 2020 showing new incorporators minus Osman and Amba.

Abdi Nur Salah (37, St. Paul MN), brother of Abdulkadir and Senior Policy Aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, pleaded guilty to wire fraud; agreed to ~2 year recommended sentence; forfeited real estate at 8432 Noble Ave N Brooklyn Park and 2529 12th Ave S Minneapolis

Pleaded guilty Jan 28 2025 to one count of wire fraud (Feeding Our Future); minor participant; recommended 21-27 months; $1M+ restitution; faces deportation

Abdi Nur Salah pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on January 28, 2025, one week before his scheduled trial. Other charges were dismissed. As a 'minor participant,' the recommended sentence is 21-27 months. He must pay over $1 million in restitution. He is a legal permanent resident from Somalia and faces possible deportation. The wire fraud count involved a 2020 email claiming federal reimbursement for meals from a food site in Willmar, MN.

Abdi Nur Salah (Somali LPR, Mayor Frey's former aide) pled guilty 2025-01-28 to wire fraud; 21-27 months recommended; forfeited two properties and $343K from Star Choice Credit Union under Stone Bridge Development LLC

Abdi Nur Salah, 37, St. Paul MN, Somali national and legal permanent resident, former Senior Policy Aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, pleaded guilty to wire fraud 2025-01-28. Recommended sentence: 21-27 months (minor participant designation). Forfeited: 8432 Noble Ave N Brooklyn Park MN; 2529 12th Ave S Minneapolis MN; $343,418.98 from Star Choice Credit Union held under Stone Bridge Development LLC.

Safari Restaurant (Abdulkadir Nur Salah co-owner) hosted Somalia-oriented relief fundraising; no Somaliland-specific events documented

Safari Restaurant (co-owned by Abdulkadir Nur Salah, Abdi Nur Salah's brother) participated in Somalia famine relief fundraisers in 2011 and 2017 ('Dine Out for Somalia' with 40+ Twin Cities restaurants), and hosted 'A Night for Somalia' in 2017 raising ~$9,500 for Mogadishu's Aamin Ambulance service. No Somaliland-specific fundraising events documented at Safari. This pattern is consistent with Somalia-orientation of the Safari political-commercial network.

Safari Restaurant was a Somali-DFL political hub (Omar 2018, mayoral forums, Somalia relief fundraising); no Somaliland-specific events or public Somalia/Somaliland alignment statements found for Abdi

Safari Restaurant (Abdulkadir's business) hosted DFL mayoral candidate forums with 170+ Somali-Americans in attendance, and was a political staging venue for Ilhan Omar during her 2018 congressional campaign. Safari participated in 'Dine Out for Somalia' in 2017, a fundraiser for Somalia relief (not Somaliland). No public statements by Abdi Nur Salah found regarding Somalia vs Somaliland alignment. No FARA registrations found for either brother with Somalia or Somaliland.

Safari Restaurant DFL political events were Somalia-aligned; Abdi Nur Salah's patron network (Warsame, Frey) sits within the same Somalia-oriented DFL bloc

Safari Restaurant hosted Ilhan Omar's 2018 DFL primary victory celebration and multiple Minneapolis DFL Mayoral Candidate Forums for the Somali community. Omar, who has publicly opposed Somaliland recognition, is the most prominent political figure linked to the Safari network. Abdulkadir Nur Salah worked on Omar's 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an 'enforcer' overseeing Somali community voter turnout. Abdi Nur Salah's political career (Warsame aide → Frey aide) runs through this same Somalia-aligned DFL network.

Used political influence as Frey aide to lobby politicians pressuring MDE not to shut down Feeding Our Future; failed to disclose fraud income to City Hall

Federal prosecutors wrote in court filings that when the Minnesota Department of Education began scrutinizing Feeding Our Future and sites under its sponsorship, Abdi Nur Salah used his political influence to lobby politicians to pressure MDE not to shut down Feeding Our Future so that he and his co-conspirators could continue to carry out their fraudulent scheme. He also failed to disclose his fraud income to his City Hall employer.

Brother Abdulkadir Nur Salah among 6 Safari-linked men who each donated $1,000 (max legal) to Frey 2021 reelection on July 26-27 2021; no federal FEC donations found for Abdi himself

Six men named in the Feeding Our Future search warrant collectively donated $1,000 each to Mayor Jacob Frey's 2021 reelection campaign on July 26-27, 2021 — the maximum allowable under Minnesota state law. Abdulkadir Nur Salah (Abdi's brother, Safari Restaurant co-owner) was among the six. The other five: Abdikadir Mohamud, Salim Said, Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, Ahmed Ghedi, Abdinasir Abshir. No FEC federal donation record found for Abdi Nur Salah himself; donations were from his brother and Safari-connected co-defendants.

Abdi Nur Salah, Mayor Frey's senior policy advisor who received the Stigma-Free transfer from Osman, departed City Hall amid FOF fraud allegations and later pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting to stealing $3.4 million

Abdi Nur Salah served as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's senior policy aide leading initiatives in transit, education, public works, and elections. He departed City Hall after Sahan Journal reported his FOF connections. He subsequently pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2024, admitting to stealing $3.4 million as part of the FOF scheme.

Analyst literature identifies broader FOF network as primarily Darood (anti-Somaliland clan orientation); Nur Salah brothers' clan affiliation not confirmed

AEI/MEF analyst Michael Rubin identifies the broader Minnesota FOF fraud defendant network as 'many Somali immigrants, especially those entangled in the fraud scandal, are also Darood.' Darood clans (Majeerteen, Ogaden, etc.) historically oppose Somaliland's independence. Rubin connects Darood-origin financial transfers to anti-Somaliland militia operations in Laascaanood (2023 territorial seizure). Clan affiliation of Abdi Nur Salah and Abdulkadir Nur Salah is not confirmed in public sources, so this cannot be applied directly.

Abdi Nur Salah was Senior Policy Aide to Mayor Jacob Frey (~2018-Feb 2022); previously aide to Council Member Abdi Warsame

Abdi Nur Salah served as Senior Policy Aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey from approximately 2018 until fired February 17, 2022. Responsibilities included transit, education, public works, elections, and economic development. Prior to this role, he served as aide to then-City Council Member Abdi Warsame.

Fired by Mayor Frey Feb 17 2022 after Sahan Journal inquiry; his name appeared in federal forfeiture documents same day

Mayor Frey fired Abdi Nur Salah on February 17, 2022 — the same day Sahan Journal called the mayor's office to ask about Abdi's connection to a federal forfeiture document. The document listed Abdi as co-purchaser of a south Minneapolis apartment with money traceable to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.