Courts approve overseas travel for several Feeding our Future defendants
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A federal judge on Wednesday allowed a defendant convicted in the Feeding our Future case to travel to east Africa to sell property in order to make restitution payments.
Judge Nancy Brasel granted a request from Liban Yasin Alishire to go to Kenya for a month so he can sell a five-bedroom apartment in Nairobi and property at an Indian Ocean resort that he admitted purchasing with money stolen from government child meal programs.
Alishire, 43, is one of 60 people charged in the case in which authorities allege that the defendants conspired to steal $250 million in federal government funds meant for children in need by setting up shell companies and submitting falsified reimbursement paperwork.
Prosecutors contend that the nonprofit Feeding our Future was at the heart of the scheme, and that its leaders and those of its affiliated organizations diverted government payments for their personal benefit.
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In January, Alishire pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors opposed his travel request. They wrote in court filings that Alishire presents a flight risk in part because his young daughter is in neighboring Uganda.
As part of his plea agreement, Alishire promised to pay $712,000 in restitution and forfeit property in Kenya including a five-bedroom apartment in Nairobi and rental units at an Indian Ocean resort.
Matthew Forsgren, Alishire’s defense attorney, wrote in his own filings that Alishire is unable to conduct the sales remotely because prospective buyers are aware of the criminal case and want notarized statements from his client to resolve concerns about the properties’ legal status. Forsgren also wrote that Alishire has built a life in Minnesota and will not abandon his family.
Forsgren noted that Kenya’s currency has fallen sharply relative to the U.S. dollar, and Alishire must sell the properties quickly to maximize the amount that can be applied to his restitution obligations.
Brasel’s order limits Alishire’s trip to 30 days and requires that he maintain contact with his attorney because he will not be under the supervision of federal probation officers during that time.
Brasel previously allowed Sahra Nur, 62, who pleaded guilty in September, to visit family in Somalia and make a pilgrimage to Mecca provided that she return by Nov. 1.
In July, Magistrate Judge Tony Leung permitted Khadar Adan, 60, who pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, to make a summer business trip to Turkey and east Africa.
Prosecutors did not oppose the other two requests.