Attorney General Initiates Legal Action Against Housing Developer Allegedly Discriminating Against Somali Community
In a recent turn of events, Abdiwali Abdullahi finds himself in hot water, facing accusations of consumer fraud concerning the marketing of his planned Nolosha Development in Lakeville. A legal pursuit is underway to secure refunds for the countless families potentially swindled.
The state’s legal eagle, Attorney General Keith Ellison, has squared off against the developer targeting the Somali community in Lakeville. This bit of intrigue was disclosed in The Minnesota Star Tribune by Alex Kormann.
Fueling the fire, this Minnesota developer aims to create a 37-acre haven for the Somali-American community, yet now finds himself facing accusations of crafty deception from the Attorney General’s office.
This drama drags into Hennepin County District Court, with Ellison hurling charges of fraudulent dealings around Abdullahi’s sales tactics and deposit shenanigans for the proposed Nolosha project.
Claims are afloat that Abdullahi painted a too-rosy picture of the homes, timelines, and community perks to dupe keen buyers into thinking they were lining up for their dream home.
Several would-be homeowners shelled out $25,000 as commitment cash, but now the lawsuit aims to hit the brakes on Nolosha’s half-truths and hand those families their dough back.
Billing itself as a fast-track solution for disgruntled buyers, the suit calls for refunds amid the lingering delays as the court drama unfolds. Abdullahi and Nolosha stand accused under several consumer protection acts.
Reaching out to David Aafedt, the legal rep for Nolosha, proved to be a missed call and inbox game of tag.
The lawsuit tears into Nolosha for dressing up marketing spiel with all the bells and whistles to lure buyers, promising homes priced between $370,000 and $500,000 adhering to Islamic financing norms sans interest.
Prospects allegedly coughed up over $1 million as early-bird entries, only to be funneled into a waiting list once initial slots vanished, leaving over 1,500 hopefuls in digital line.
Apparently, Nolosha’s grand plans of single-family residences were just a pipe dream—a fantasy substituted with multi-family units requiring conventional loans or more expensive Sharia-compliant alternatives.
Amidst the tangled legal web, that request for refunds due to delays was flatly ignored by the folks at Nolosha.
The Attorney General voices concerns over Nolosha’s actual ownership of the Lakeville land, suggesting the firm is still trying to clinch a $4 million deal for the buying rights.
Abdullahi insists he’s inked a deal for the property, painting a different picture altogether.
Skipping pure communication, Nolosha has allegedly failed to sketch any real development plans for Lakeville—its sites mere wetland fancies, as cleverly depicted in lawsuit snapshots.
Adding fuel to the allegations of self-gain, Abdullahi, reportedly as Nolosha’s lone soldier, reaps a monthly bounty as substantial as $4,000.
Familiar claims have surfaced before, as Ellison’s team has had its eye on this scheme since ’23.
Nolosha’s rebuttal pins it all on a former employee’s discontent, a whistleblower according to the AG’s Office.
Formal fraud charges took time to materialize, despite a heated court standoff in August with public claims of harassment, keeping the local Somali-American scene abuzz.
Pressured by Court Order, Nolosha was nudged to fork over critical doc haul. Christian Sande, the presiding judge, extended a partial shield to Nolosha against allegations overreach.
Allegedly, Nolosha is dodging demands to unveil information as required by court directives.
Next up on the legal calendar: Oct. 21 for the motion hearing, where the saga unravels anew.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
