A new round of legal challenges involving Tim Mynett, the husband of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), has renewed public attention on the couple. Mynett, a political consultant turned venture capitalist, is named in a lawsuit alleging fraud and breach of contract related to eStCru, a California-based wine company in which he is a partner.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., alleges that Mynett and his business partner, Will Hailer, defrauded investor Naeem Mohd. According to court filings, Mohd claims he invested $300,000 after being promised a 200 percent return within 18 months, a return that he alleges was never delivered, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The lawsuit alleges that while the principal investment was eventually repaid after a delay, the promised profits were never delivered. It further claims that the business partners misrepresented the company’s financial condition.
Mynett has denied the allegations, describing the case as a contractual disagreement rather than fraud.
Beyond the financial dispute, Mynett’s involvement in the wine business has drawn attention from observers of Omar’s public life. A spokesperson for the congresswoman has said Omar and Mynett married “Islamically and legally” in 2020. Omar has identified as a Sunni Muslim, a tradition that generally prohibits the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol under Islamic law.
Mynett’s role in a winery has prompted questions from critics about how that business activity aligns with those religious tenets. Omar has not publicly commented on the issue. Her office has said she maintains a separation between her official duties and her husband’s private business ventures and has no involvement in his companies.
The lawsuit is not the first instance in which Mynett’s finances have intersected with Omar’s political career. During Omar’s 2020 re-election campaign, her campaign paid nearly $3 million to Mynett’s consulting firm, the E Street Group. The Federal Election Commission found no legal violations, though the arrangement drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
Mynett’s role in a winery has prompted questions from critics about how that business activity aligns with those religious tenets. Omar has not publicly commented on the issue. Her office has said she maintains a separation between her official duties and her husband’s private business ventures and has no involvement in his companies.
The lawsuit is not the first instance in which Mynett’s finances have intersected with Omar’s political career. During Omar’s 2020 re-election campaign, her campaign paid nearly $3 million to Mynett’s consulting firm, the E Street Group. The Federal Election Commission found no legal violations, though the arrangement drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
He said the potential action would be based on allegations that Omar married her brother to scam the U.S. immigration system, along with what he described as her “general embrace of Muslim terror,” Axios reported.
“I don’t think she should be a citizen, let alone a member of Congress,” Fine told the outlet.
The comments followed a fundraising email from Omar’s campaign calling for Fine to be expelled from Congress over past remarks in which he said Muslims should be “destroyed.”
“I won’t send out fundraising emails calling for her expulsion,” Fine told Axios. “If I’m going to do that, you will see me bring the piece of paper. And I am actively considering that.”
Axios noted that expelling a member of the House requires a two-thirds vote. With Republicans holding only a narrow majority, at least 85 Democrats would need to support the effort for it to succeed.
Omar has also faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks related to fraud tied to the Somali community in her Minnesota district.
The controversy centers on the Minnesota “Feeding Our Future” program, which authorities have linked to approximately $250 million in fraud connected to the MEALS Act passed during COVID lockdowns.
