Days after a juror claimed she received over $120,000 in cash in exchange for an acquittal, federal authorities searched the Minnesota home of at least one of the seven defendants in a high-profile fraud trial.
The FBI claimed it carried out “court-authorized law enforcement activity” Wednesday in Savage, Minnesota, where at least three of the defendants have purchased residences in recent years, according to a superseding indictment.
Related posts
Prosecutors accuse the seven defendants of wasting millions of dollars meant for child feeding during the pandemic. The federal fraud trial, which began on April 22, is the first of an alleged $250 million COVID relief scheme, which prosecutors claim is the largest of its type.
According to an FBI search warrant affidavit, a juror stated that on the eve of deliberations Sunday night, a woman handed a gift bag containing $1,000 and left it with a relative. The affidavit states that the visitor, who knew the woman’s first name, promised her relative “more of that present tomorrow” if the jury voted not guilty.
The court and police removed the juror after they reported the suspected bribery attempt. A family member mentioned the alleged bribe during a chat, leading to the discharge of a second juror on Tuesday.
It is unclear who offered the jury the bribe. Officials indicated that all of the defendants, their attorneys, and prosecutors had access to the juror’s identifying information.
In a detention order filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel stated that at least one defendant was “likely” involved in the bribery effort.
“As the Court sees it, it is more than possible that one of the seven defendants on trial played a role in bribing a juror,” Brasel stated.
“The actions reported by the juror strike at the heart of the justice system,” said the judge, “and the Court views the sanctity of our jury system as paramount.”
According to Brasel, bribing a juror is a felony punishable by a lengthy jail sentence, including a 20-year statutory maximum in some situations.
The judge ordered the defendants to turn in their smartphones, and all seven were brought into custody.
The FBI’s actions on Wednesday’s target and potential outcomes remain unknown. The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota listed several search warrants on Wednesday, but none of them became public.
The FBI stated that the investigation was underway but declined to release or confirm any information. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota declined to comment.
The search comes as the sequestered jury continues to consider the fates of Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Said Shafii Farah, Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, and Hayat Mohamed Nur. The defendants face felony accusations of conspiracy, wire fraud, government program bribery, and money laundering.
According to a criminal complaint, from April 2020 to January 2022, the defendants collected more than $40 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program money intended to provide free, nutritious meals to children and low-income families.
While the defendants claimed to have fed millions of children with that cash, prosecutors said they spent the majority of the money on many homes, properties, and luxury automobiles.
In a large fraud ring involving the non-profit Feeding Our Future, 70 people were indicted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. Eighteen people have pleaded guilty, according to officials.
Feeding Our Future was a sponsor for the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Prosecutors claim that the nonprofit’s staff recruited individuals and corporations to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout Minnesota. According to prosecutors, Feeding Our Future received and disbursed approximately $200 million in federal subsidies in 2021, up from $3.4 million in 2019.
