Sharon Denise Ross, a 54-year-old resident of Willernie, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 43 months in prison for her involvement in a $250 million fraud scheme targeting a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Following her prison term, Ross will undergo three years of supervised release and is required to pay restitution amounting to $2,434,360. Additionally, she must forfeit all property obtained through the fraudulent activities, including her house in Willernie.
Ross faced charges in a 12-count indictment on March 7, 2023, for wire fraud and money laundering linked to the Federal Child Nutrition Program fraud. She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on January 10, 2024.
Court documents reveal that Ross served as the executive director of House of Refuge Twin Cities, a St. Paul-based non-profit organization enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program with sponsorship from Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition. She falsely claimed that her organization operated distribution sites across the Twin Cities serving meals provided by Brava Café, a Minneapolis restaurant managed by Hanna Marakegn. From September 2021 to February 2022, Ross misrepresented serving thousands of children daily at multiple locations including area churches. In total, she falsely claimed nearly 900,000 meals served and received approximately $2.4 million in fraudulent funds from the program. The funds were used for personal expenses such as vacations and purchasing property.
Judge Nancy E. Brasel remarked on Ross's exploitation of her community position for "flagrant personal gain" during sentencing. Judge Brasel emphasized the severity due to the rapid acquisition of fraudulent funds while Ross was already on probation for another fraud offense.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier from the District of Minnesota with Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune managing asset seizure and forfeiture.