MINNEAPOLIS — A jury convicted five Minnesota residents Friday and acquitted two others for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million from a program supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic.
The case gained attention after someone tried to bribe a junior with a bag of $120,000 in cash.
That juror was dismissed before deliberations began, and a second juror who was notified was also dismissed. An FBI investigation into this bribe attempt continues, with no arrests announced.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson called the bribe “an attack on our criminal justice system” and told reporters that authorities would investigate with all their resources.
“They lied and fraudulently claimed to have donated millions of meals to Minnesota children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The defendants took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the State of Minnesota and steal tens of millions of dollars,” Thompson said. “This conductor was not only criminal, he was depraved and brazen.”
The seven people were the first of 70 to go to trial in what federal prosecutors called one of the nation’s largest COVID-19 frauds. More than $250 million in federal funds were recovered under Minnesota’s program, of which only about $50 million was recovered, officials said.
Food assistance came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was administered by the state, which funneled meal money through nonprofits and other partners. As rules were relaxed to speed up aid to the needy, the defendants allegedly produced invoices for meals never served, ran shell companies, laundered money, engaged in passport fraud and accepted bribes. de-wine.
Federal prosecutors said only a fraction of the money the defendants received through the nonprofit Feeding our Future went to feed low-income children, while the rest was spent on cars luxury, jewelry, travel and real estate.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff and Hayat Mohamed Nur were found guilty of most of the charges against them. Prosecutors described Abdiaziz Farah as the ringleader of the seven and the one facing the most charges; he was found guilty of 23 of the 24 charges against him.
Said Shafii Farah and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin were acquitted of all charges against them. Aftin was charged with three counts, the least significant of the seven defendants.
After the juror reported the bribe attempt in the Minnesota case, the judge ordered all seven defendants to turn over their cellphones so investigators could search for evidence. She also ordered the detention of the seven men and sequestered the jury.
According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, a woman rang the doorbell at the home of “Juror No. 52” in Spring Lake Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, the night before the case was sent to the jury. . A parent opened the door and received a gift bag with a curly ribbon and pictures of flowers and butterflies. The woman said it was a “gift” for the juror.
“The woman told the relative to tell Juror #52 to find himself not guilty tomorrow and there would be more gifts tomorrow,” the agent wrote. “After the woman left, the relative looked in the gift bag and saw that it contained a significant amount of money.”
The juror called police right after she returned home and gave them the bag, which contained stacks of $100, $50 and $20 bills totaling about $120,000.
The woman who left the bag knew the juror’s first name, the agent said. The names of the jurors have not been made public, but the list of people with access to this investigation included prosecutors, defense attorneys and the seven defendants.
“It is very likely that someone with access to the juror’s personal information conspired, at a minimum, with the woman who delivered the $120,000 bribe,” the FBI agent wrote, noting that The alleged fraud plot at the heart of the trial involved electronic communications. communications, including text messages and emails.
A few days later, while the remaining jurors were deliberating, FBI agents searched Abdiaziz Shafii Farah’s home, according to a neighbor who witnessed the search and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to security reasons. The FBI confirmed agents were in the town where Farah lives, but did not provide further details. It was unclear whether the search was related to the corruption investigation.
The federal charges of bribery of a juror and influencing a juror carry a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison.