Latest news with #Juror52
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Feeding Our Future: Juror bribe attempt leads to third guilty plea
The Brief A third defendant pleaded guilty for the attempted bribe of a Feeding Our Future juror. The bribe attempt was made during the first Feeding Our Future trial in 2024. The juror reported the attempted bribe after being told more money would come if they voted to acquit. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Federal prosecutors secured another guilty plea for the attempted bribery of a jury member in the Feeding Our Future trial. The latest man to plead guilty, Abdulkarim Farah, of Minneapolis, admitted to coordinating and facilitating an attempted bribery of Juror 52 during the first Feeding Our Future trial in 2024. Big picture view Court documents say five people are accused of trying to bribe Juror 52 with $120,000 for a not-guilty vote for defendants in the Feeding Our Future Trial. Prosecutors accused Farah of conspiring with his brothers and other people to target the juror at her home and deliver the bribe. Investigators determined that Farah "conducted surveillance of Juror 52 and Juror 52's house" and removed a license plate from a rental car used to deliver the money, according to court documents. Farah also recorded the delivery of the bribe money and deleted the Signal messaging app with the video on it after the incident was disclosed in court, authorities say. Said Farah, Abdiaziz Farah, and Abimajid Nur, who were defendants in the initial trial, along with Abdulkarim Farah and Ali, face charges related to this bribery attempt. The jury in the original case was sequestered after the incident, and the bribed juror was dismissed. Abdimajid Mohamed Nur pleaded guilty in July to attempted bribery and was also convicted on other Feeding Our Future crimes. READ MORE: Feeding Our Future juror bribe: 5 indicted in 'chilling attack' on justice system Ladan Ali, of Seattle, pleaded guilty shortly after the attempted bribe was discovered. She is the woman who delivered the bag of money and explained there would be more coming if the juror voted to acquit, court documents say. READ MORE: Feeding our Future: Juror bribery attempt leads to guilty plea What they're saying Authorities praised the actions of the juror for not taking the money and reporting the attempted bribe. "The attempted bribery of Juror 52 is a shameful chapter in Minnesota history," said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick in a written statement. "Juror bribery strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system. It is unacceptable—in Minnesota and in the United States—and can never be repeated. In contrast to the reprehensible behavior of the defendants, I am grateful for Juror 52, who is the true hero of this story. Juror 52—who could not be corrupted and immediately alerted law enforcement—represents the best of Minnesota." READ MORE: Feeding Our Future: defendant who tampered with witness pleads guilty An FBI agent who investigated the attempted bribery spoke to the significance of the crime and impact such actions have on the rule of law. "Attempting to corrupt the judicial process through bribery strikes at the very foundation of our justice system," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate efforts to undermine the rule of law and the fair administration of justice." Dig deeper The jury ultimately delivered a split verdict, convicting five dependents on most charges while acquitting two others. The ringleader, Aimee Boch, was found guilty in March 2025 along with Salim Said. READ MORE: Feeding Our Future verdict: Aimee Bock and Salim Said found guilty The Source This story used information shared in a news release from the United States Department of Justice and past FOX 9 reporting.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
3rd person pleads guilty in $120k attempt to bribe Feeding Our Future juror
A third person has pleaded guilty to being part of a scheme to try to bribe a juror with $120,000 during the Feeding Our Future trial in Minneapolis, the U.S. Attorney's Office of Minnesota announced Wednesday. Last April, seven people went on trial in federal court in the Feeding Our Future case, one of the country's largest COVID-19-related fraud cases. Two of the people on trial were brothers of Abdulkarim Shafii Farah, 25, of Minneapolis. During the trial, he worked with his brothers and others to provide cash to a juror in exchange for returning a not-guilty verdict, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Farah conducted surveillance of a juror, referred to in court documents as Juror 52, and of her house. He sent a map of where Juror 52 parked while serving on the jury. Ladan Mohamed Ali was recruited to deliver the money and Farah was instructed to drive Ali to Juror 52's house. Farah went to a Target store and bought a screwdriver, which he used to remove the license plate from Ali's rental car, as they attempted to avoid being caught by law enforcement. Farah drove Ali about 8:50 p.m. June 2 to Juror 52's house and recorded video of her delivering a gift bag with bribe money inside. Ali handed the money to a relative of Juror 52 and said there would be more money if the juror voted for acquittal in the trial. Farah sent the video he took to his brother. When the bribe was disclosed in court the next day, Farah uninstalled and deleted the Signal encrypted messaging app from his cellphone to destroy the messages, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Farah pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of bribery of a juror, remains in custody and will be sentenced at a later date. 'Mr. Farah was ready to accept responsibility for his part, which he did,' said his attorney, Kevin DeVore. 'He wants to … put this behind him, so he can move on with his life.' Farah was among five people indicted in the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Juror 52 was targeted because she was the youngest juror and the suspects believed she was the only juror of color. They did online research to find her home address. 'The attempted bribery of Juror 52 is a shameful chapter in Minnesota history,' said Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Lisa Kirkpatrick in a statement. 'Juror bribery strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system. … Juror 52 — who could not be corrupted and immediately alerted law enforcement — represents the best of Minnesota.' 19-year-old St. Paul man ID'd as victim of fatal stabbing in Dayton's Bluff Federal judge dismisses public corruption case against Mayor Adams 'with prejudice' Identical twin sister spared prison for trying to swap identity in fatal Amish buggy crash Woman killed in White Bear Township hit-and-run ID'd Forest Lake 'career offender' gets 12½-year prison term for swindling businesses, homeowners
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A third defendant pleads guilty to juror bribery in massive Minnesota food fraud case
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A third defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in an attempt to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for acquittals in a massive COVID-19-related fraud case in Minnesota. Abdulkarim Shafii Farah pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a juror. He was the third of five defendants to admit to federal charges arising from the bribery case, which broke last year during the first trial of people charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal. Two of the seven defendants in that trial were Farah's brothers. According to prosecutors, after Farah's codefendants decided to target one juror with a bribe attempt, Farah conducted surveillance of the juror and her house. He also drove a Seattle woman to the juror's house and recorded a video of her delivering the bag of cash to a relative of the juror because they didn't fully trust their accomplice. But the juror went straight to police after she got home later. Prosecutors have alleged that the defendants targeted 'Juror 52' because she was the youngest and they believed her to be the only person of color on the panel. The Seattle woman, Ladan Mohamed Ali, pleaded guilty last September. The man who recruited her, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, pleaded guilty last July. Farah, Ali and Nur are all awaiting sentencing. Cases against the two others charged in the bribery case are pending. Although the charge against Farah carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, the prosecution and defense agreed under the plea deal that the nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines recommend 46 to 57 months in prison. Seventy people were charged and 45 have already been convicted in the larger fraud case, which centered on a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors allege the participants stole $250 million from a federal program that was meant to feed children during the pandemic. The alleged ringleader, Aimee Bock, was convicted on all counts in her trial last month. Bock's trial drew national attention partly because of an attempt to tamper with a witness that was foiled. Lisa Kirkpatrick, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota — who has called Feeding Our Future the largest fraud scheme against COVID-19 relief programs anywhere in the country — said in a statement Wednesday that the bribe attempt was 'a shameful chapter in Minnesota history." "I am grateful for Juror 52, who is the true hero of this story. Juror 52 — who could not be corrupted and immediately alerted law enforcement — represents the best of Minnesota,' Kirkpatrick said.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
A third defendant pleads guilty to juror bribery in massive Minnesota food fraud case
A third defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in an attempt to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for acquittals in a massive COVID-19-related fraud case in Minnesota. Abdulkarim Shafii Farah pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a juror. He was the third of five defendants to admit to federal charges arising from the bribery case, which broke last year during the first trial of people charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal. Two of the seven defendants in that trial were Farah's brothers. According to prosecutors, after Farah's codefendants decided to target one juror with a bribe attempt, Farah conducted surveillance of the juror and her house. He also drove a Seattle woman to the juror's house and recorded a video of her delivering the bag of cash to a relative of the juror because they didn't fully trust their accomplice. But the juror went straight to police after she got home later. Prosecutors have alleged that the defendants targeted 'Juror 52' because she was the youngest and they believed her to be the only person of color on the panel. The Seattle woman, Ladan Mohamed Ali, pleaded guilty last September. The man who recruited her, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, pleaded guilty last July. Farah, Ali and Nur are all awaiting sentencing. Cases against the two others charged in the bribery case are pending. Although the charge against Farah carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, the prosecution and defense agreed under the plea deal that the nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines recommend 46 to 57 months in prison. Seventy people were charged and 45 have already been convicted in the larger fraud case, which centered on a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors allege the participants stole $250 million from a federal program that was meant to feed children during the pandemic. The alleged ringleader, Aimee Bock, was convicted on all counts in her trial last month. Bock's trial drew national attention partly because of an attempt to tamper with a witness that was foiled. Lisa Kirkpatrick, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota — who has called Feeding Our Future the largest fraud scheme against COVID-19 relief programs anywhere in the country — said in a statement Wednesday that the bribe attempt was 'a shameful chapter in Minnesota history." "I am grateful for Juror 52, who is the true hero of this story. Juror 52 — who could not be corrupted and immediately alerted law enforcement — represents the best of Minnesota,' Kirkpatrick said.
Associated Press
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A third defendant pleads guilty to juror bribery in massive Minnesota food fraud case
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A third defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in an attempt to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for acquittals in a massive COVID-19-related fraud case in Minnesota. Abdulkarim Shafii Farah pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a juror. He was the third of five defendants to admit to federal charges arising from the bribery case, which broke last year during the first trial of people charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal. Two of the seven defendants in that trial were Farah's brothers. According to prosecutors, after Farah's codefendants decided to target one juror with a bribe attempt, Farah conducted surveillance of the juror and her house. He also drove a Seattle woman to the juror's house and recorded a video of her delivering the bag of cash to a relative of the juror because they didn't fully trust their accomplice. But the juror went straight to police after she got home later. Prosecutors have alleged that the defendants targeted 'Juror 52' because she was the youngest and they believed her to be the only person of color on the panel. The Seattle woman, Ladan Mohamed Ali, pleaded guilty last September. The man who recruited her, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, pleaded guilty last July. Farah, Ali and Nur are all awaiting sentencing. Cases against the two others charged in the bribery case are pending. Although the charge against Farah carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, the prosecution and defense agreed under the plea deal that the nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines recommend 46 to 57 months in prison. Seventy people were charged and 45 have already been convicted in the larger fraud case, which centered on a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors allege the participants stole $250 million from a federal program that was meant to feed children during the pandemic. The alleged ringleader, Aimee Bock, was convicted on all counts in her trial last month. Bock's trial drew national attention partly because of an attempt to tamper with a witness that was foiled. Lisa Kirkpatrick, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota — who has called Feeding Our Future the largest fraud scheme against COVID-19 relief programs anywhere in the country — said in a statement Wednesday that the bribe attempt was 'a shameful chapter in Minnesota history.' 'I am grateful for Juror 52, who is the true hero of this story. Juror 52 — who could not be corrupted and immediately alerted law enforcement — represents the best of Minnesota,' Kirkpatrick said.
