A nonprofit responsible for sending $100 million to fraudsters has reportedly reached a settlement with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The settlement announced by Ellison's office says Partners in Nutrition will hand over $18.5 million to the Minnesota Department of Education, which paid out the funds as part of a federal meals program for needy children during the pandemic era.
That money will then get returned to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Claiming millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded reimbursements for astronomical amounts of meals that were never delivered to Minnesota’s children is despicable,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Today’s settlement holds PIN accountable for defrauding the State and recoups $18 million in taxpayer funds, but it cannot adequately address the erosion of Minnesotans’ trust in government programs that bad actors like PIN and Feeding Our Future have caused.”
In the civil lawsuit, the Attorney General alleged that from October 2020 to February 2022, PIN took advantage of its role as food program sponsor by knowingly and repeatedly submitting false claims to MDE for meals that were not served and facilitating widespread fraud in the food distribution sites it claimed to be monitoring.
Ellison's also reportedly recommending criminal prosecution for at least one person tied to the nonprofit. He also may recommend criminal and civil charges against six others.
The Attorney General’s Office also said they are continuing to actively investigate a number of the individuals involved in the fraud.
"This fight is not over. My office continues to actively investigate a number of individuals and entities affiliated with PIN for violations of the Minnesota False Claims Act," Ellison added.
