A federal trial in Minnesota has revealed that millions of dollars from a government meals programme were diverted into luxury spending and international investments.

Court records show defendants channelled large sums from the federally funded initiative into personal purchases. Evidence includes receipts for first-class flights to Istanbul, the United Arab Emirates and Amsterdam, as well as photographs of high-end vehicles such as a 2021 Porsche Macan. 

Prosecutors also linked the scheme to the acquisition of a lakefront property in Minnesota. Nearly $3 million was transferred to accounts in Kenya, with further payments routed to banks and companies in China. 

One suspect carried out six transfers of more than $1 million each between February and July 2021. Files also detail investments in East Africa, including a high-rise building under construction in Nairobi’s affluent suburbs.

Extravagant spending extended beyond property and vehicles. Records confirm a stay at a luxury resort in the Maldives, where videos show defendants celebrating with champagne in an overwater villa with a private pool. 

Other exhibits include images of a box containing $270,000 in cash, accompanied by a message confirming the amount. In one exchange, a defendant instructed an associate to send $1,000 to a person described as an Al-Shabaab sympathiser, raising concerns about links to extremist networks.

The trial has already led to significant sentences. One defendant received a 10-year prison term and was ordered to repay nearly $48 million in restitution, equal to more than Ksh6 billion. 

Designed to meet urgent needs, these schemes were vulnerable to exploitation, with oversight mechanisms struggling to keep pace.