A man who admitted to enriching himself in the “Feeding Our Future” scam was facing up to three years in prison but got a slap on the wrist after agreeing to a plea deal.

Abdul Abubakar Ali claimed to have served up about 1.5 million meals and collected federal funds through the Federal Child Nutrition Program, but prosecutors said he didn’t actually serve any at all.

‘Public trust in government programs has been undermined’ by the scheme.

In Oct. 2022, he agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors said he paid $92,500 in restitution so far and provided valuable information to investigators. He also took responsibility for his actions.

Both the defense and prosecutors asked the judge for a sentence of probation, but the judge sentenced Ali to a year and one day in prison on Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Brasel said that his role was too egregious for a probation sentence. She noted that he completely made up the meal count rather than exaggerated them and that he had recruited another person in the scheme.

“Public trust in government programs has been undermined” by the scheme, she added.

More than $3 million was stolen through the scheme, which transferred the money to S & S Catering and laundered the money through Franklyn Transportation, a shell company.

Ali has agreed to turn himself in to federal prison on June 2.

RELATED: Minnesota news outlet is getting wrecked online for story on Somali migrants’ economic impact on Minnesota

The Trump administration has sent federal investigators to Minnesota in order to probe federal funding fraud, especially from members of the Somali community.

While some have criticized the effort as being animated by racism, others point out that dozens have already been arrested and convicted in the fraud schemes in Minnesota.

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When BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock was invited onto Cam Newton’s “4th & 1” podcast, he wasn’t expecting to have such an eye-opening and civil conversation.

However, not everyone else saw it that way.

“Ryan Clark is arguing that Cam Newton interviewing, engaging with me was platforming evil,” Whitlock says, before playing a clip of Clark briefly explaining his position.

“I don’t want to platform evil. I don’t want to platform hate. I don’t want to platform dissension just because,” Clark said on “The Pivot” podcast.

Whitlock points out that one of Clark’s issues with him has been his questioning of ESPN host Stephen A. Smith’s past.

“Me questioning a journalist about things they’ve said publicly,” Whitlock scoffs. “That’s where Ryan Clark draws a line in the sand.”

“Cut out all the phoniness and fakeness. Ryan, you don’t like me … because I called out the BS of you going on national TV pretending to cry because some white woman your son doesn’t know, you don’t know, allegedly called him the N-word,” Whitlock comments.

“That was some fake BS you did for clicks, for attention,” he continues, “the same thing you’re accusing Cam Newton of doing.”

“Ryan Clark, you’re a hypocrite,” he says. “If I’m evil and you’re good, the world is upside down.”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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