2 plead guilty in $300 million Minnesota fraud case

"Under federal sentencing guidelines, Mahamud faces an advisory prison range of about three to four years, and Mertens faces an advisory range of roughly 1¾ to 2¼ years, although federal judges are not bound by those recommendations.

Mahamud was the CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis, which became the subject of reporting by independent journalist Nick Shirley in December concerning alleged fraudulent childcare facilities in the Twin Cities."