Feeding Our Future: Trial restrictions tighten after alleged witness tampering attempt
The Brief
Sharmake Jama, who pleaded guilty in January, testified about participating in meal fraud at his family's Rochester restaurant.
He also told jurors of an attempt by another defendant, who is awaiting trial in April, to talk to him in a courthouse bathroom on Tuesday.
The judge issued an order that any defendant in related cases cannot be in the courtroom or even on the same floor.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Sharmake Jama testified that the claims that he fed nearly 3,000 children per day in 2020 and 2021 were fabricated.
He also said invoices showing he purchased food, at times hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time, were not true. In fact, he'd not seen them before he was arrested.
The invoice claiming he purchased $56,000 dollars worth of milk? He didn't. There's no way he could even store that much, he testified.
Big picture view
On Tuesday, as Jama sat outside the federal courtroom in Minneapolis, awaiting his turn on the stand, he says he was approached by another man that he recognized, but did not know.
Prosecutors said that man is another defendant who will be tried in April and is a relative of Salim Said.
Salim Said and Aimee Bock are on trial together for their roles in the $250 million dollar Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Said ran a number of meal sites and also recruited others to open more meal sites. Bock, who ran Feeding Our Future, is accused of being the ringleader.
"He just said, 'Can we talk?'" testified Jama about the man who approached him. "'Talk to you where?' 'Talk to you in the bathroom.'"
Jama didn't, but told his lawyer, who then informed the judge.
What's next
On Wednesday morning, the judge issued an order that any defendant in a Feeding Our Future case can only attend this trial with a 24-hour notice, which is necessary to set up an overflow viewing area on a different floor. And those defendants are no longer allowed on the floor where the current trial is taking place at any time.
This comes after an attempt to bribe a juror in a Feeding Our Future trial of seven defendants in 2024. That juror promptly reported it to the court.
READ MORE: Feeding our Future: Juror bribery attempt leads to guilty plea
Dig deeper
Also on Wednesday, two witnesses from Willmar, who testified about a downtown meal site that Salim Said was a part of. One of them, who works at an insurance agency next door, said she never saw lines of kids or increased traffic.
"It would have been noticeable," she testified.
The site claimed to be feeding up to 3,000 kids every day, both breakfast and lunch.
"I just didn't see that kind of activity."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man armed with chainsaw shot by Brooklyn Center officers: Police
The Brief A man carrying a chainsaw was shot by police in Brooklyn Center overnight. Police were responding to the report of a domestic dispute at the time. The victim is being treated at the hospital and is currently listed as stable. BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Brooklyn Center police responding to a reported domestic dispute shot a man who they say came out of a home armed with a chainsaw. The backstory Just after 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Brooklyn Center police say they were called to a home along 63rd Avenue North just west of Xerxes Avenue for the report of a domestic disturbance. As police responded, a second caller reported there was someone inside their home, armed with knives. Police responded and later called in crisis negotiators to assist with the incident. As the standoff lingered on, police say the man eventually exited the home. What we know When he came out of the house, however, police say the man was carrying a chainsaw. Officers used less-lethal force, including pepper balls and rubber bullets, to try and disarm the man. But ultimately, they say, officers fired shots, striking the man. The man was rushed to the hospital following the shooting and police say he is currently in stable condition. Police say the chainsaw was secured at the scene. What they're saying A neighbor said he heard what seemed like two rounds of shots — with the initial round potentially being the less-lethal ammunition — and saw the man charging at officers with a running chainsaw. The witness said it all seemed like a scene out of the horror film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." "First thought, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' came through my mind," said neighbor Tyler Ferguson. "Kind of looked like it too." What's next The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called in to review the use of force. The officers who used force have also been placed on leave. Both are standard protocol in police shootings. Police say there is no lingering danger to the public.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Advocates make case for red flag ballot measure in last-minute legislative hearing
Nacole Palmer (right), executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, sits with Arthur Barnard (center), who held a picture of his son, Lewiston shooting victim Arthur Strout, during a public hearing before the Maine Legislature's Judiciary Committee for a red flag citizen's initiative on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) Dozens of people gathered at the State House Wednesday to discuss stricter gun safety regulations that Mainers will be voting on this November. After a failed legislative attempt last year to implement a so-called 'red flag law' — which would allow courts to temporarily take guns away from people perceived as a threat by law enforcement or their family members — a citizen-led initiative collected more than 80,000 signatures to put a referendum question on the ballot for this year. But before the question goes to voters in November, the Legislature is required to hold a public hearing for the referendum: LD 1378. Wednesday's meeting came after Republicans repeatedly questioned why a public hearing was never scheduled for the proposal. After pleas from Republicans, last-minute hearing scheduled for red flag initiative Red flag laws, formally known as extreme risk protection orders, are active in twenty-one states, including four states in New England. Maine is the only state with a yellow flag law. The referendum proposes allowing a family member, household member or law enforcement officer to file a petition, along with an affidavit of facts, for an extreme risk protection order if someone is suspected of posing a significant danger of causing physical injury to themself or another person. That protection order would prohibit the person from purchasing, possessing or controlling a 'dangerous weapon.' A court would be required to schedule a hearing within 14 days of when the petition is filed. If the court finds the individual does pose a significant risk of causing physical injury, the court must issue an order prohibiting them from purchasing, possessing or receiving a dangerous weapon for up to one year. The person would need to immediately surrender any dangerous weapons in their possession to law enforcement. A person could request to have the order terminated if they can show evidence that they no longer pose a risk of physical harm. Conversely, an order can also be renewed for up to one additional year. At the hearing, about 30 speakers highlighted flaws in Maine's current 'yellow flag law,' which allows law enforcement to take guns away from people after a mental health evaluation. Family members of people who died in the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston as well as doctors, psychiatrists and school teachers all pointed to issues with the yellow flag law, arguing that stricter regulations could have helped prevent the shooting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I get regular calls from people who are desperate for help when a loved one or others are in crisis, who are dangerous and harmful firearms that are not getting help from the police. I have to explain to them that there's nothing that I can do as an individual on this kind of advocacy,' said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which collected signatures for the citizen initiative. 'But there's something that we can all do together this November by passing this proven, life-saving law that empowers family members and will help keep our schools and communities safe,' she added. Mental health professionals and doctors from several national organizations said the current law's required mental health evaluation weakens it. 'Ultimately, family members know their loved ones best. They are first to notice when something is wrong and when someone they love is wrong,' said Madeleine DesFosses, speaking on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maine Medical Association. 'We need to ensure that an efficient process is available, and that makes it easier to get dangerous weapons away from someone.' Critics of the bill included members of law enforcement, who said the yellow flag law is working well and that allowing courts to directly take away weapons makes enforcement of the red flag law more dangerous for law enforcement officers who have to confiscate them. Some opponents also argued that it's unconstitutional and lacks due process. If the referendum passes, it would not replace Maine's current law, but would be an additional tool police or the general public can use to temporarily confiscate weapons. But Lt. Michael Johnston of the Maine State Police argued that having two different avenues is unnecessary, since the current system is working well, as evidenced by the increase in frequency of use. Maine medical community backs proposed red flag law 'I think this is going to be a heightened risk of service for law enforcement and for the respondent,' Johnston said, testifying in opposition to the referendum. 'You get diminished returns if you have similar processes in place, people aren't sure which ones to take advantage of.' The public hearing included lengthy discussion on the effectiveness and barriers of the current law. Since the Lewiston shooting, the use of the yellow flag law has skyrocketed. Law enforcement used it more times in the first two months of this year than the first three years after its passing in 2020. So far, there have been 881 total applications, 800 of which were after the October 2023 shooting, according to Maine State Police. Johnston said he is only aware of two times that state police were unsuccessful in temporarily confiscating weapons under the yellow flag law rules. But that use remains high because the yellow flag law 'failed so spectacularly that 18 Mainers were slaughtered,' Palmer said. 'And the people of Maine, including our law enforcement, are so desperate to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again.' Johnston said 'Lewiston was a wake up call for everyone,' and that law enforcement is already focused on better training and implementation of the yellow flag law. Adding another tool that doesn't work as well to the tool chest, he said, 'can detract or diminish from what's already working.' Similar legislation was introduced last session, but it died without a vote in the full Senate or House of Representatives. That bill was sponsored by Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland), who at the time was speaker of the House. A lengthy budget debate on the last day of the session upended plans for the chambers to take it up. At the time, the measure was particularly popular among Maine's medical community which praised the proposal for its efforts to address the public health crisis of gun violence without stigmatizing mental illness. Like last year's proposal, the red flag bill heard Wednesday is up against the legislative clock. Though lawmakers are no longer beholden to the statutory adjournment date of June 18, given that they are technically in a special session, leaders have indicated they intend to stick with that deadline. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Minneapolis mother watched as partner killed their 2-year-old daughter, then himself
Minneapolis mother watched as partner killed their 2-year-old daughter, then himself originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Trisha Prinsen witnessed the horrific moment that her boyfriend fatally shot their 2-year-old daughter and then turned the gun on himself. Prinsen, who is seeking funds to help pay for funeral expenses, says her partner was having a mental health crisis when he held them hostage before fatally shooting their 2-year-old daughter, Kinsley Prinsen, whom she described as her "beautiful angel." Her partner then "killed himself in front of me," she wrote. "I'm trying to deal with this one minute at a time, grieving the loss of my beautiful 2-year-old daughter and the loss of my significant other," Trisha wrote in the GoFundMe, which as of Wednesday morning had generated around $2,500. The murder-suicide happened Monday at a home on the 2900 block of Colfax Avenue North. The man, aged in his 50s, and Kinsley Prinsen were found dead from gunshot wounds. The man has not yet been identified. "This is an unimaginable, heartbreaking tragedy," said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. "Our hearts are with the child's mother as she faces an overwhelming loss, and with the officers and investigators who responded to such a devastating scene." Trisha told FOX 9 that her boyfriend believed "people were living under the house" and that he was being watched. She said he shot Kinsley as the toddler "went to hug her father." FOX 9 says Trisha did the interview to help raise awareness for mental health, adding that she wishes she had known that she could've texted 911 because "it may have helped to prevent such a horrible tragedy." Calling 911 is the most reliable way to get help, according to the FCC, but text-to-911 is an option statewide in Minnesota. Here's how you can use it, per the Minnesota Council on Disability. In the 'To' part of the text message, enter the numbers 911. In the text message, describe your location or provide an address and describe the emergency. Press send. Dispatch will ask if they can voice call you so that they can gather information more quickly and gather your exact location. If you are not able, let them know. You do not need to identify as deaf or hard of hearing. Wait for a response with instructions and respond promptly. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
