Overview

• The 65-year-old Columbia Heights man admitted to money laundering in federal court on Thursday.
• He operated the Academy For Youth Excellence site, which claimed to have served more than 1.7 million meals between December 2020 and September 2021.
• Charging documents place the site at Benadir Hall above S&S Catering on Lake Street in Minneapolis.
• Prosecutors say the S&S Catering group moved $17.4 million, with Jesow-linked claims drawing $4,286,088, of which he kept about 5% and returned the rest via cash or checks.
• His trial had been scheduled for October 14, 2025, and with his plea only one defendant remains headed to that trial as cases continue following ringleader Aimee Bock’s March conviction.