MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Federal prosecutors have unveiled new details about an audacious attempt to bribe a juror during the first trial connected to the Feeding Our Future fraud case, in which defendants are accused of stealing millions from government child nutrition programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to investigators, several of the seven defendants on trial this summer conspired with others to deliver $120,000 in a Hallmark gift bag to the home of a juror, promising more cash in exchange for a vote to acquit. The scheme failed when the juror, known as Juror 52, reported the bribe to authorities, leading to the FBI’s recovery of the money and subsequent charges against five individuals involved in the bribery plot.
A Massive Fraud Case Turns Chaotic
The Feeding Our Future investigation has been one of the largest fraud cases in Minnesota history, with 70 people accused of stealing $250 million intended for child nutrition programs. The first trial concluded with convictions for five of the seven defendants and acquittals for two others.
New court filings by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson reveal that defendant Mukhtar Shariff, who was convicted in the fraud case, knew about the bribery attempt. Prosecutors allege that Shariff deleted the encrypted messaging app Signal from his phone after the judge ordered the defendants to surrender their devices. While the messages were deleted, FBI forensic experts recovered evidence of incoming messages from co-defendant Abdiaziz Farah, including texts detailing the bribery plot and a video of the cash delivery.
In one text exchange, Farah allegedly expressed confidence that the bribery would succeed, writing, “I have a good feeling she will come through and that’s a lot of money for her family.”
A Tangled Plot Unravels
Prosecutors described a chaotic and disorganized effort by the defendants to sway Juror 52. Ladan Ali, one of the accused co-conspirators, falsely claimed she had approached the juror at a bar and secured an agreement for a $500,000 bribe. This claim led to a scramble among the defendants to gather cash, with Farah texting another defendant to prepare $100,000 by the next day.
Despite the elaborate plotting, the bribery attempt collapsed when Juror 52 refused the money and contacted law enforcement. On June 2, Ali and Abdulkarim Farah, Abdiaziz’s younger brother, delivered the gift bag to the juror’s home, where a relative accepted it. Minutes later, the defendants shared a video of the cash delivery.
When the trial resumed on June 3, Judge Nancy Brasel was informed of the bribery attempt. She immediately dismissed Juror 52 and replaced her with an alternate juror. Proceedings continued, and the jury reached its verdicts later that week.
New Charges and Sentencing Delays
Following the failed bribery attempt, five individuals, including Ali and both Farah brothers, were charged with jury bribery. Two defendants, including Ali, have since pleaded guilty. Prosecutors are now seeking additional prison time for Shariff, arguing that his deletion of the Signal app obstructed justice.
Judge Brasel has delayed sentencing for Shariff and other defendants as the bribery investigation continues. Meanwhile, one defendant, Mohamed Ismail, has already been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the fraud scheme.
The Feeding Our Future case, now entangled with allegations of jury tampering, continues to highlight the lengths to which some defendants allegedly went to avoid accountability for one of the largest frauds in Minnesota history.