First Somali Refugee to Run Public Housing Admits to Stealing Millions

Glass ceilings get broken, then wallets get stolen. Only in America? No. Only in Gov. Walz’s Minnesota.

But first, let’s pause to celebrate the incredible historic moment of the first Somali refugee to run a public housing agency.

Sharmarke Issa was confirmed by the Minneapolis City Council to chair Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA). Issa is the first immigrant and first East African to serve as chair of the MPHA Board of Commissioners.

“Having grown up in in Minneapolis public housing after coming to our city as a refugee, Sharmarke’s story of success highlights public housing as vital asset in Minneapolis,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Sharmarke’s life experience and background in urban planning are especially important to MPHA’s mission. At a time when the federal government continues to shortchange housing funding, he will be a skilled steward of our public housing infrastructure who understands and centers the needs of residents.”

Approximately one-third of Minneapolis Public Housing residents are members of the East-African community.

One third. 1 in 3 are Somalis. Just one of those little factoids about diversity being our strength. Kinda like Issa’s stewardship.

An Edina man who chaired the board of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal wire fraud charges for his role in the Feeding Our Future nutrition program fraud scheme.

That was a $250 million social welfare fraud to help the Somali community.

Sharmarke Issa, 42, admitted to running entities that laundered federal funding for the scheme, including Wacan Restaurant LLC and a nonprofit called Minnesota’s Somali Community.

Issa was responsible for $7.6 million of the $50 million in fraud scheme money that the federal government says it lost,

Issa claimed to serve 2.3 million meals to children at his food sites. He admitted that some of the fraud scheme money instead went to properties he purchased in Edina, Minneapolis and elsewhere.

Everyone is now pretending to be shocked and outraged at water being wet.

www.frontpagemag.com/first-somali-refugee-to-run-public-housing-admits-to-stealing-millions/