Owner of day care in Nick Shirley’s exposé now charged with FRAUD costing millions

The owner of a day care targeted in a viral Nick Shirley exposé has been charged six months later with millions of dollars of fraud related to allegedly false reimbursements from the government.

Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the CEO of the Future Leaders Early Learning day care in Minneapolis, allegedly claimed to have provided thousands of meals at her center and defrauded the government.

The day care closed in January, according to state records reviewed by KMSP-TV after the exposé went viral in December.

Mahamud had signed up her day care for a federal child nutrition program through Feeding Our Future, which has since been identified as a source of massive fraud. She also claimed to have provided day care for low-income families through the Child Care Assistance Program.

Prosecutors said she received $4.6 million from the child care program and another $850,000 from the nutrition program. She allegedly submitted over 13,000 fraudulent claims to CCAP from October 2022 until December 2025.

The day care closed in January, according to state records reviewed by KMSP-TV after the exposé went viral in December.

Mahamud was previously charged for the nutrition fraud but was charged on Wednesday for the day care fraud.

The day care was also inspected in November and found not to be “operating within the terms of its license.” It was cited for cleanliness and disrepair issues.

She is being charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.