Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband’s venture capital firm has reportedly removed the names of multiple high-profile figures from its website as scrutiny continues to mount over large-scale fraud tied to Minnesota welfare programs.
According to a report published Saturday by the New York Post, the firm, Rose Lake Capital, erased the names of “nine officers and advisors” from its website between September and October.
The changes reportedly occurred during the same period federal prosecutors announced additional criminal charges connected to a sprawling welfare fraud scheme in Minnesota.
The Post reported that none of the individuals whose names were removed have been charged in the fraud cases.
Omar previously “introduced the legislation critics say paved the way for what the feds have called the largest fraud of the pandemic,” the Post reported.
Federal authorities have described the Minnesota cases as among the most significant fraud schemes uncovered during the COVID-19 era.
Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, launched Rose Lake Capital in 2022.
According to the Post, the firm’s reported valuation increased rapidly, rising from almost nothing to between $5 million and $25 million in a short period of time.
The Post detailed that the names and biographies of Rose Lake Capital’s officers and advisors were removed from the firm’s website after prosecutors announced new charges in the welfare fraud investigation.
Those charged during that period included eight additional individuals, six of whom were described as being of Somali descent. None of the officers or advisors listed on the firm’s website were charged, according to the report.
The individuals whose names were removed included several prominent political and financial figures.
The Post reported that the list included lobbyist and former Obama administration ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli; former U.S. senator and Obama administration ambassador to China Max Baucus; Alex Hoffman, identified as an associate of the Democratic National Committee’s finance chair; former Democratic National Committee treasurer William Derrough; and Keith Mestrich, a former chief executive officer of Amalgamated Bank.
Mestrich previously described Amalgamated Bank as “the institutional bank of the Democratic Party,” according to the report.
The developments surrounding Rose Lake Capital have drawn additional attention in light of reporting on Omar’s personal finances.
In September, Breitbart News reported that Omar’s net worth rose from $51,000 to $30 million in one year.
Omar has denied being worth that amount.
“The Democrat’s surge in wealth is due to Mynett’s two businesses, which are a winery and a venture capital firm, per the New York Post,” Breitbart reported.
The controversy has unfolded as federal and state investigators continue probing welfare fraud cases linked to Minnesota’s Somali community.
According to Breitbart, the investigations have identified more than $1 billion in stolen taxpayer funds connected to a network of organizations and individuals involved in Minnesota’s welfare programs.
“Reports say that Omar has many close ties to organizations, businesses, and individuals named in the various cases that have uncovered massive fraud of Minnesota’s overly generous welfare schemes, cases that total up to more than a billion dollars in stolen taxpayer money,” Breitbart reported.
As an example, Breitbart reported that Omar has held events and parties at Safari Restaurant, a Minneapolis eatery that has been named in some of the investigations.
The restaurant’s owners, Salim Said and Aimee Bock, were convicted in the Feeding Our Future case, which defrauded approximately $250 million in state child nutrition funds.
The ongoing investigations and recent reporting have prompted reactions from other lawmakers.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) recently announced plans to introduce a resolution seeking Omar’s expulsion from Congress. Fine has also criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over the fraud issue, stating that Walz “should be in jail.”
Federal prosecutors have continued to add charges as investigations move forward, and officials have said additional cases could follow.
While Omar has not been charged in any of the fraud investigations, the actions involving her husband’s firm and the timing of the website changes have added to questions surrounding Minnesota’s handling of welfare programs and the political figures connected to them.
