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5 indicted for Feeding Our Future juror bribery
Five people are facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in the attempted bribe of one of the jurors in the Feeding Our Future fraud trial.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Another defendant pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in attempting to bribe a juror in the Feeding Our Future trial back in April 2024.
Said Farah, 43, is the fifth person charged in the attempted juror bribery to plead guilty.
His brother, Abdiaziz Farah, was sentenced to 28 years earlier this month.
Feeding Our Future juror bribe guilty plea
Big picture view:
Five people are accused of trying to bribe a member of the jury during the Feeding Our Future trial.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release that the plan was to bribe "Juror 52" with a $200,000 cash payment that Said Farah provided with the help of his brother, Abdiaziz Farah.
Court documents state that other conspirators falsely told the Farah brothers that the juror was interested in taking the bribe, and that she wanted the cash delivered to her home.
Ladan Mohamed Ali, who pleaded guilty to charges related to the attempted juror bribe last year, reportedly told another conspirator, Sahra Nur, that Juror 52 would take the bribe.
Despite this not being true, Nur relayed the narrative to Said Farah, who then gathered a portion of the $200,000 on the morning of June 2, 2024, that would be used in the attempted bribe, according to the DOJ.
The news release states that Nur then met Ali in a Bloomington parking lot to give her the bribe. Nur then gave Ali a cardboard box that held $200,000 in cash and Ali put the cash in a Hallmark gift bag.
Later that night, Said Farah received a video through an encrypted messaging app that showed Ali delivering the bribe money. Said Farah then deleted the video to conceal his involvement, according to the DOJ.
The backstory:
The original trial focused on a $250 million fraud that centered on falsely claiming to feed children during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scheme was based on a "pay-to-play" system that was based on bribes and kickbacks for establishments claiming to feed children in return for government funding.
Aimee Boch, who prosecutors called the "ringleader" of the operation, was found guilty in March of her role in the scheme.
What they're saying:
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson shared the following written statement:
"I watched this unfold with my own eyes—it was corruption stacked on corruption. The Feeding Our Future scheme was already a staggering and brazen fraud. But then came something even more corrosive: a cynical attempt to buy off a juror who stood strong and refused to be corrupted. I cannot overstate how painful this was for all involved. This was an unprecedented attack on our very system of justice. It shook Minnesota to its core. Now we must grapple with how we got here—no more denial, no more looking away. We must not allow corruption and fraud to define the future of justice in Minnesota."
Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis shared this statement on the guilty plea:
"The attempted bribery of a juror is a shocking attack on the fabric of our legal system. In this country, justice is impartial, swift, and cannot be bought. The extraordinary work on this case attests to the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the judicial process and relentlessly pursue those who seek to corrupt that system."
What's next:
Said Farah's sentencing date has not yet been set.
The Source: This story uses information shared in a news release from the United States Department of Justice and previous FOX 9 reporting.