Federal charges have been filed against five individuals in connection with an attempt to bribe a juror with a gift bag containing $120,000 in cash. This incident occurred during a trial over a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program, as announced by the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota during a news conference on Wednesday.
The juror, referred to as “Juror 52,” immediately contacted 911 after discovering the cash-filled gift bag at her front door earlier this month. FBI Special Agent Travis Wilmer detailed the incident in an affidavit filed on June 3 in federal court. The juror was subsequently dismissed from the case and replaced with an alternate.
Three of the individuals charged this week—Abdimajid Nur, Abdiaziz Farah, and Said Farah—were defendants in the fraud trial linked to Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization accused of misappropriating nearly $250 million from federal child nutrition programs. Nur and Abdiaziz Farah were convicted of multiple crimes, including wire fraud, bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy, while Said Farah was acquitted.
Court documents reveal that Juror 52 was targeted because she was the youngest juror and believed to be the only juror of color. Along with the bribery money, the gift bag contained a document described by U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger as “chilling.” The document provided instructions for the juror to sway other jurors, focusing on arguments of prejudice by the government based on the defendants’ immigration status and race. The note inside the gift bag also included a message stating, “You alone can end this case.”
Nur allegedly recruited Ladan Ali, who followed the juror home after the first day of closing arguments and later delivered the gift bag containing the bribe. Said Farah is accused of providing the funds. Another defendant, Abdulkarim Farah, accompanied Ali and recorded the delivery of the money. Abdiaziz Farah, Said Farah, and Abdulkarim Farah are brothers.
The charges against the five individuals include bribery of a juror, conspiracy to bribe a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror. When the bribery attempt was revealed in court, all defendants were ordered to surrender their phones. Abdiaziz Farah attempted to wipe his phone’s data by performing a factory reset, leading to an additional charge of obstruction of justice.
Recovered videos from the defendants’ phones showed the delivery of the bribe money to Juror 52’s home. The videos were intended to ensure the money was delivered and to serve as evidence of the juror’s complicity if she accepted the bribe but did not deliver a not guilty verdict. A search warrant executed at Abdiaziz Farah’s home uncovered a list of all the jurors’ names hidden inside a water bottle.
Fingerprints from the bag of money led investigators to Ladan Ali. During the news conference, Luger shared surveillance images showing Ali following Juror 52 home from court. Luger described the plot as a “chilling attack on our system of justice,” emphasizing the sophistication and intentionality of the scheme. He praised Juror 52 for not succumbing to the bribe and terminating the scheme.
The three Farah brothers are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on the charges on Thursday afternoon. Ladan Ali is expected to turn herself in later this week, and Abdimajid Nur is set to appear in court next week.
The bribery attempt has brought renewed attention to the trial of seven Minnesota defendants accused of stealing over $40 million from a federal program intended to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. Five of the defendants were convicted earlier this month, but the bribery scheme disrupted the trial and prompted federal authorities to uncover those responsible.
The FBI began investigating the pandemic fraud scheme in the spring of 2021. The defendants allegedly produced invoices for meals never served, ran shell companies, laundered money, engaged in passport fraud, and accepted kickbacks. More than $250 million in federal funds were misappropriated in the Minnesota scheme, with only about $50 million recovered so far.
The money came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was administered by the state, which funneled the funds through partners, including Feeding Our Future. The Minnesota Legislature’s watchdog arm found that the state education department provided inadequate oversight of the federal program, allowing the theft to occur.
The bribery attempt has raised concerns about juror security in high-profile criminal trials. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger likened the scheme to those he encountered as a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, where he worked to dismantle mafia families. He emphasized that such an attack on the justice system is unprecedented in Minnesota.
The defendants face multiple charges, including conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribing a juror, corruptly influencing a juror, and planning the scheme. The investigation continues as federal authorities work to ensure the integrity of the justice system and hold those responsible accountable.
Source: CNN, Reuters
