(NewsReady.com) – A 23-year-old juror in one of America’s largest pandemic fraud cases returned home last month to find a bag of $120,000 in cash awaiting her. A person dropped it off and told her that there would be more if she voted to acquit the defendants on trial. Authorities have now arrested five people involved in the plot and released more details.
US Attorney Andrew Luger, for the District of Minnesota, announced charges against five individuals allegedly involved in the plot to influence the juror, who was part of the Feeding Our Future fraud case involving $250 million in fraudulently used taxpayer funds that were earmarked to feed children during the pandemic. The defendants charged in the scheme are 42-year-old Said Shafii Farah, 35-year-old Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 23-year-old Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, 31-year-old Ladan Mohamed Ali, and 24-year-old Abdulkarim Shafii Farah.
Luger’s office alleges the five came up with the scheme in May. They targeted the juror because they believed she was the only one of color and she was young. The defendants are accused of conducting online surveillance of the juror to find out her background information, including the names of her family members. Then they moved their operation offline and followed her to learn her daily habits and to confirm her home address. They also installed a GPS tracker on her car.
Ali allegedly flew from Seattle to Minneapolis on May 30, 2024. A few days later, Abdiaziz Farah told Nur to meet at a business owned by Said Farah to pick up the money that they’d use for the bribe. Nur gave the money to Ali, who went with Abdulkarim Farah to the juror’s house. Ali reportedly gave a bag with $120,000 to one of the juror’s family members. Ali included a list of instructions with the money instructing the juror to acquit all of the defendants and to “convince all the remaining jurors” to do the same. The instructions also included arguments the juror could make to the others.
The juror told authorities about the bribe and handed over the money. Luger’s office has charged all five defendants with bribery of a juror, conspiracy to bribe a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror.
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