Doubt and Deception: Examining the Credibility of Hadith Ahmed
We better know there is a fire whence we see such smoke rising than we could know it by one or two witnesses swearing to it. The witnesses may commit perjury, but the smoke cannot. Abraham Lincoln
Hadith Ahmed’s testimony at the first trial struck me as a case study of a scourge of our legal system: informant injustice.
Hadith Ahmed was so afraid of his lies being reflected in the courtroom mirror that he wanted to wear a mask throughout his testimony.
Based on my research, it isn’t accurate to say Hadith knew everything on direct examination. It is more appropriate to say Hadith Ahmed unleashed an avalanche of lies in his testimony at trial.
Let’s start with the little white lies:
Does Hadith speak four or ten languages?
Under direct examination, Hadith Ahmed claimed to speak ten languages. When cross-examined the next day, the number of languages he said he spoke was now four languages.
Where was Hadith born?
During the first day of testimony, Hadith was born in Ethiopia. On the second day, his place of birth changed to Kenya.
Let’s move on to the more substantive issues with his testimony:
When did he work at Feeding Our Future?
There didn’t seem to be a straight answer to this question, but I think on cross-examination, it was settled that he started working at the end of September 2020, possibly early October. Hadith initially told investigators he worked at Feeding Our Future until the FBI raids in January 2022. In his testimony, he was fired in September 2021. In reality, it was determined he was locked out of all systems in June 2021 and paid until August 3rd.
Did Hadith receive a plastic bag filled with $5,000?
We only have Hadith’s word on this point, but he did receive a $5,000 check around the time in question. Perhaps, as the years passed and during his 12 meetings with authorities, this check turned into a plastic bag full of cash. Only Hadith and his mirror know the answer to that question.
Was Hadith paid to transfer Dar Al Farooq to Feeding Our Future?
This would have been impossible because the Dar Al Farooq site was already assigned to Feeding Our Future before Hadith started working at FOF.
Did Hadith transfer ThinkTechAct sites to FOF?
Again, no, all the sites he mentioned were never transferred to FOF. They all remained with Partners in Quality Care. You can check this online here.
Why did Empire Cuisine & Market pay Hadith?
In his initial interviews with investigators, Hadith said he was paid to help with three Shakopee sites. At trial, this changed to assisting with the transfers of Dar Al Farooq and ThinkTechAct. Who knows what it will be next?
Is a meal count form the same as a claim?
The jury and gallery were subjected to days of the presentation of meal count forms at trial: meal counts, meal counts, and more meal counts.
Here is the relevant testimony:
Q: “So we’ve talked about claims and meal counts. Is there a difference between those two things?”
A: “No. It is interchangeable.”
Once and for all, a meal count is not a claim, and neither is an invoice. The Minnesota Department of Education has detailed instructions for sponsors on how to submit claims.
Did FOF monitor sites?
Hadith said, "We will never go and visit the sites." and "We were -- we make sure we're not going to go to the sites, assign nobody." and "So that way nobody can bother them."
He mentions this within the context of VIP sites. I assume VIPs are those who paid him. But, once again, this is a lie.
Hadith said Safari was a VIP, but it is on the monitoring visit list here. The team even gathered to discuss what they saw.
Hadith is on a monitoring visit, and the whole team appears to be investigating a suspicious site.
Hadith told the FOF team he is doing a monitoring visit and asking people to go with him
Hadith’s sister - Tufah - went on monitoring visits.
Part of the thread is visible in the above screenshot.
It is clear Hadith was paid a lot of money—that can’t be denied. But what is less clear is what influence, if any, he had on the core processes of FOF.
Hadith didn’t have CLiCS access so that he couldn’t submit site applications or Claims to MDE.
Hadith was only with FOF for a short time, calling into question his influence on what happened before he started and after he left.
Some people paid Hadith’s company a lot but didn’t get any preferential treatment. In another post, we will cover the odd case of Action for East African People (AFEAP). AFEAP was unceremoniously kicked out of FOF.