
Motorcyclist arrested on suspicion of DWI after fleeing crash, patrol says
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the 70-year-old Inver Grove Heights man was arrested on suspicion of DWI. Washington County Jail records indicate he is being held there.
The patrol's crash report states the motorcyclist and an SUV hit each other on Highway 61 at 70th Street in St. Paul Park. It happened just before 7 p.m.
A 60-year-old woman was ejected from the motorcycle and taken to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The patrol said she was not wearing a helmet. The motorcyclist was uninjured. He has not been formally charged.
No one in the SUV was hurt.
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Fewer public entrances to Minnesota Capitol building under new security changes
There are fewer public entrances and more security officers around the Minnesota State Capitol under new changes public safety officials implemented on Wednesday. The move comes in wake of the deadly targeted attacks against state lawmakers and their spouses and a separate security breach of the Minnesota Senate chamber last month when a naked man got inside after hours. "The Capitol is more than just a building. It's a symbol of democracy and a place where Minnesotans come to be heard," Bob Jacobsen, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said in a statement. "These updated security measures reflect our responsibility and commitment to protecting everyone who works at or visits the Capitol while keeping the building open and accessible to all. We remain committed to continuously reviewing and improving security protocols." Anyone can enter the Capitol in St. Paul, which is part of a broader 140-acre complex with other state government buildings, during normal business hours. There is no security checkpoint or metal detectors, but now there are fewer doors for entry on the south side of the building, facing downtown St. Paul. Access from the Minnesota Senate Building parking ramp to the Capitol is also now restricted to key card holders; anyone parking there who doesn't have one will need to request a security escort to get inside. The Department of Public Safety in a news release also said Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger will oversee security at the Capitol more directly, and that the change "elevates Capitol security within the State Patrol's organizational structure, ensuring that swift and decisive actions can be taken when necessary." The State Patrol is also hiring a third-party expert to conduct a security assessment of the Capitol complex. Jacobsen told reporters last week he wanted input from lawmakers before taking significant actions to boost security. In two weeks, the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, whose members include lawmakers and public safety officials in an advisory role, will meet for the first time since the shootings and the Senate chamber break-in. Separately, WCCO first reported last month that the Minnesota House and Senate were tapping into their state budgets to help cover the costs for enhanced home security for lawmakers who seek the upgrades. There's been a spotlight on safety in wake of the June 14 attacks when a masked gunman targeted lawmakers in their homes. Authorities say he had a hit list with other state and federal elected officials' names on it. Sergio Comcepcion, who lives in Minneapolis, said he was surprised that there wasn't a security checkpoint like other state capitols he has visited. But he likes Minnesota's accessible building because he believes it's more welcoming. "I know some security is okay, but not, like, super crazy security for entering inside because that's scary for people coming to visit this incredible building," Comcepcion said. Steven Bloomfield, visiting Minnesota from New York City, said making changes in wake of the lawmaker shootings and a climate with heightened political rhetoric is understandable. "I think that everything should be on the table when it comes to, you know, ensuring the safety of the public, and public officials as well, that are here to do the job of the people," he told WCCO.


CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Feeding Our Future defendant convicted of fraud to serve prison time, pay nearly $48M
A man convicted of charges stemming from the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been sentenced. Wednesday morning, 36-year-old Abdiaziz Farah appeared in federal court to be sentenced on charges of wire fraud and money laundering and passport fraud. Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Farah to spend a total of 28 years in prison and another three years of probation. In addition, he must pay back more than $47,900,000. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson argued for a long sentence, and said Farah was given everything by the United States. "A home. Citizenship. A free college education. After that he went on to public employment with the state of Minnesota. And how did he repay this country and this state? By robbing us blind. He has gotten every opportunity and this is how he used it. Farah didn't want the American dream. He wanted to be rich. he wanted to be wealthy. He thought he was entitled to it. He won the lottery of life, he was given everything by this country, and he repaid us with a life of crime," said Thompson. Court documents say Farah was the co-owner of Empire Cuisine and Market, which was enrolled in the federal child nutrition program in 2020. He then opened fake program sites and made false claims to serve meals to thousands of kids every day. Many of the fake sites ended up not serving any meals and were only parking lots or empty office buildings. The documents go on to say Farah bought five luxury vehicles within six months by using money meant to feed kids in need. He also bought real estate in the Twin Cities, the state of Kentucky and a high-rise building in Nairobi, Kenya, using taxpayer funds. Farah tried to escape to Kenya after his passport was seized during a search warrant, and was given a new passport after claiming his was lost instead of being seized by federal agents. Prosecutors say Farah laundered fake proceeds through China, and add law enforcement agencies in the United States aren't able to get any money or real estate which are overseas. In all, a total of $300 million was stolen throughout the entire Feeding Our Future scheme, which involves dozens of defendants. Near the end of his trial for the above crimes, prosecutors say Farah and four others attempted to bribe a juror in exchange for a not guilty verdict. Farah's two brothers — Said Shafii Farah and Abdulkarim Shafii Farah — as well as Abdimajid Mohamed Nur and Ladan Mohamed Ali, were ultimately charged with him for the bribery attempt in June of 2024. Farah, who has pleaded guilty in that case, will be sentenced for that crime at a later time. A juror told police a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home and also offered more money if she voted to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to the juror being dismissed, and the rest of the jury was sequestered. Another juror was dismissed after hearing about the alleged bribe. Nur and Ali both pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a juror last year, while Abdulkarim Farah pleaded guilty to that same charge back in April.

Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Minnesota man gets 28 years for pandemic-era food fraud
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a leader of a sprawling, pandemic-era food fraud plot in Minnesota to 28 years in prison. Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, must also pay nearly $48 million in restitution. He faces potentially more years in prison at a later sentencing hearing after previously pleading guilty in a juror bribery case involving a bag of $120,000 in cash. Farah is one of dozens of people charged in the Feeding Our Future case in which prosecutors alleged a scheme to steal $300 million from a federally funded program meant to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. Farah and several co-defendants went to trial last year where he was convicted of 23 of 24 counts against him. Those offenses include multiple counts of federal programs bribery, wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors said Farah exploited the program by opening fraudulent sites where he claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day. Farah and his associates falsified meal counts and invoices, including fake children's names, prosecutors said. He directed the stolen money to others and perpetuated the fraud through a 'pay-to-play' system,' prosecutors said. He and his associates stole more than $47 million in program money, and Farah took more than $8 million over a year and a half period, according to prosecutors. He used that money to buy five luxury vehicles and real estate, including property in Kenya, prosecutors said. That overseas property and money prosecutors say Farah laundered via China are out of reach of U.S. law enforcement. In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Farah 'has done untold damage to this state' by 'robbing us blind' after finding opportunity in Minnesota. The Associated Press left a phone message with and sent an email to an attorney for Farah for comment. Seventy-three people have been charged in connection with the Feeding Our Future case; 51 have been found guilty.