Urban Advantage Services (UAS) was a nonprofit organization established in November 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded by Ilo Amba, wife of Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, UAS claimed to distribute meals to children through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Child Nutrition Program. However, investigations revealed that UAS operated as what Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) called a “fraudulent shell company” involved in one of the largest COVID-19 relief fraud schemes with the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future. ¹ UAS was implicated due to its lack of proper records, unsubstantiated use of federal funds, and its failure to function as a legitimate nonprofit. ²

History

Urban Advantage Services was founded in November 2020 by Ilo Amba, wife of Minneapolis City Councilmember Jamal Osman. The group would claim that it would provide meals to children through the USDA Child Nutrition Program. However, from its inception, UAS faced significant governance and operational issues. The organization failed to maintain proper financial records, did not file required tax forms, and neglected to employ essential staff, such as a treasurer. Additionally, UAS abandoned its registered office and ceased communication, including disconnecting its phone line and website, after 2021. ²

By early 2022, UAS had completely ceased operations. The nonprofit’s complete lack of transparency regarding its use of federal funds and its rapid dissolution raised red flags, prompting Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) to label UAS as a fraudulent entity involved in a broader scheme to misuse federal pandemic-relief funds.  ¹

Controversies

Mismanagement

Urban Advantage Services’ (UAS) extensive management failures led to the organization being accused of operating without legitimate governance or transparency. Notably, the organization failed to register as a charitable trust or file tax forms, had no treasurer or proper financial management in place, and provided no detailed accounting for how federal funds were used, raising significant concerns of fraud. ²

These issues led to UAS being labeled a fraudulent entity by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, though no charges were filed against its leadership. ²

Ties to the Feeding Our Future Scandal

Feeding Our Future was a Minnesota-based food-distribution nonprofit brought to court by the US government for allegedly fraudulently using nearly $250 million of federal money meant for needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered evidence that tens of millions were spent on personal items, leading to 70 indictments and ongoing trials. The first trial in 2023 resulted in five convictions and two acquittals, though it was briefly disrupted by jury-tampering allegations, with further additional defendants also pleading guilty. Feeding Our Future has since been shut down. ^{3 4}

UAS came under scrutiny during the investigation into Feeding Our Future, and investigators found that UAS failed to maintain records or demonstrate legitimate nonprofit activities, flagging it as part of a broader network accused of submitting fraudulent claims for meals that were never provided.  ¹

While UAS founder Ilo Amba and her husband, Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, have not been charged, their connections to allegedly fraudulent organizations extend beyond Feeding Our Future. Stigma-Free International, another nonprofit Osman and Amba founded, which has been accused of exploiting pandemic-relief programs and misusing federal funds, though Osman claims he left the group the year before the alleged fraud. In one Feeding Our Future trial, six of the 12 defendants have been directly linked to Stigma-Free International. ^{5 6}

Dissolution

In November 2024, following the exposure of its alleged fraudulent activities, Urban Advantage Services (UAS) was dissolved. Its remaining assets were transferred to legitimate charitable organizations. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) stated, “Minnesotans are a generous people, and we expect our charities to obey these rules, keep proper records, and work to help people who need it. Urban Advantage Services fell short of these expectations and failed to follow the law, so I’m ensuring they dissolve.” ²

Bill Glahn, a fellow with the right-of-center Center of the American Experiment, commented on UAS’s mismanagement: “They didn’t keep proper records, they didn’t file tax returns and it’s been documented that this nonprofit took $461,000 out of these programs and there has never been any financial accounting for where the money went.” Glahn, who had covered the food charity for years, also questioned the lack of public accountability from the Osmans: “I’m not aware that Councilman Osman or his wife have ever answered any questions, other than perhaps to the attorney general, but certainly not the media or to the voters.” ¹

Leadership

Ilo Amba is the founder and was the executive director of Urban Advantage Services. Her husband, Jamal Osman, was first elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2020, where he chairs the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee. Prior to his election, he worked in social services, including as a resident advocate at Common Bond Communities. ⁷

Funding

Urban Advantage Services received $461,500 in federal funds through the USDA’s Child Nutrition Program in 2020 and 2021 .²

1.  Hoff, Jennifer. “Attorney General: Minneapolis City Councilor’s Wife’s Now-Defunct Nonprofit Tied to Feeding Our Future.” KARE 11, www.kare11.com/article/news/local/attorney-general-minneapolis-city-councilors-wifes-defunct-nonprofit-feeding-our-future/89-478a88ea-bf3d-4fac-98ff-1996c35c3b89.
2. Winter, Deena. “Keith Ellison Shuts down Nonprofit Run by Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman’s Wife.” www.startribune.com/keith-ellison-shuts-down-nonprofit-run-by-minneapolis-council-member-jamal-osman-wife-ilo-amba-feeding-our-future-related/601179078.
3. U.S. Attorney Announces Federal Charges Against 47 Defendants in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme.” Justice.gov, September 20, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-attorney-announces-federal-charges-against-47-defendants-250-million-feeding-our-future.
4. “Feeding Our Future Trial: Latest Updates.” Sahan Journal. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://sahanjournal.com/feeding-our-future-trial/.
5. Glahn, Bill. “City Councilman Jamal Osman Ducks Feeding Our Future Questions.” American Experiment, 15 Nov. 2024, www.americanexperiment.org/city-councilman-jamal-osman-ducks-feeding-our-future-questions/.
6. Ansari, Hibah, et al. “Feds Investigate Nonprofit Incorporated by Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman in Alleged Feeding Our Future Food Fraud.” Sahan Journal, 22 Dec. 2022, sahanjournal.com/business-work/feeding-our-future-stigma-free-international-jamal-osman/.
7. “About Jamal Osman.” City of Minneapolis, www.minneapolismn.gov/government/city-council/members/ward-6/about-jamal-osman/. Accessed November 15, 2024.