Federal prosecutors on Wednesday filed charges against the 50th suspect in what has been alleged as a sprawling $250 million fraud perpetrated by a federally funded child nutrition program in the Twin Cities during the coronavirus pandemic.

Abduljabar Hussein, 42, was charged in a 20-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery and money laundering.

The Shakopee resident was named along with his wife, Mekfira Hussein, 38, who was arrested and charged by criminal complaint last month.

According to the Minneapolis office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, Mekfira Hussein was the president and owner of Shamsia Hopes, a Brooklyn Center nonprofit that operated federal child nutrition program sites under the sponsorship of St. Anthony-based Feeding Our Future.

Abduljabar Hussein allegedly created a company, Oromia Feeds LLC, that purported to provide food to children at Shamsia Hopes’ sites in Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis and Fridley.

The charges allege that the couple fraudulently claimed to have served thousands of children daily from October 2020 through 2022, leading to wrongful claims for compensation in federal funds.

Shamsia Hopes received some $7.8 million and Oromia Feeds LLC received nearly $1 million. Prosecutors say the couple used the money for their own benefit, including purchasing luxury vehicles and paying off the mortgage on their Shakopee residence.

They also allegedly paid thousands of dollars in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee in exchange for its sponsorship in the child nutrition program. That organization and its leader are accused of being at the center of the fraud scheme.

Abduljabar Hussein made his initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Mekfira Hussein will make her initial appearance at a later date.

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