Abdulkarim Farah sentenced to 5 years for scheme to bribe juror in Minneapolis Feeding Our Future fraud trial

Federal prosecutors allege the scheme involved over $250 million in stolen taxpayer funds intended to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Jan 7, the House Oversight Committee said the Justice Department has charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases, 85 of whom are Somali. Payments to Feeding Our Future began in 2019 at $1.4 million. That number jumped during the pandemic to $4.8 million the following year, maxing out at $140.3 million in 2021, a 2,818 percent increase.

US Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Farah conspired with his brothers and others to influence the outcome of the high-profile case by offering cash to a member of the jury, identified in court filings as Juror 52, in exchange for a not guilty verdict. The bribery effort unfolded while seven defendants were on trial beginning April 22, 2024, before US District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. Two of the defendants were Farah’s brothers.

According to Farah’s plea agreement, co-defendants identified Juror 52 as a target, and Farah took on tasks meant to help carry out the scheme while avoiding detection. Authorities said he conducted surveillance of the juror and the juror’s residence and shared logistical details, including a map showing where the juror parked while reporting for jury service.

Prosecutors said co-defendant Ladan Ali was recruited to deliver the cash, and Farah was instructed to drive her to the juror’s home and record video of the delivery. Before the drop-off, Farah went to a Target store to buy a screwdriver, which investigators say he used to remove the license plate from Ali’s rental car to make it harder for law enforcement to identify.

On June 2, 2024, at about 8:50 pm, Farah drove Ali to Juror 52’s home and recorded her delivering a gift bag containing the bribe money, according to the plea agreement. During the handoff, Ali gave the bag to a relative of the juror and indicated that more money would follow if Juror 52 voted to acquit the defendants, prosecutors said. Farah later sent the video to his brother, Abdiaziz Farah.

After the bribery attempt became known in court, Farah deleted the encrypted messaging app Signal from his iPhone on June 3, 2024, an act investigators described as an effort to destroy messages exchanged about the attempted bribe.

Farah was sentenced by US District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to 57 months, the high end of his federal sentencing guidelines range and the punishment requested by the government. In imposing the sentence, Judge Tostrud emphasized the central role of juries in the justice system, calling “properly functioning juries” a core feature of criminal courts and underscoring the judiciary’s duty to protect the right to fair and impartial juries. He also praised Juror 52 for rejecting what he described as a substantial bribe.