Trial Results in Convictions for 5 Out of 7 Defendants in Fraud Case That Involved Jury Bribery Attempt
A juror was let go before deliberations started, and another juror who discovered a bribe effort was also eliminated. The FBI is still looking into the bribe attempt, with no arrests disclosed.
These seven defendants are part of the nation's largest COVID-19-related fraud, according to federal prosecutors, taking advantage of lax rules to prevent a crashing economy during the pandemic. In total, more than $250 million in federal money was stolen in the Minnesota scheme; just around $50 million has been recovered, authorities informed.
The defendants were charged with various crimes, including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery of federal programs. The trial ended with a divided verdict.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, and Hayat Mohamed Nur were all found guilty on most of the counts against them.
Said Shafii Farah and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin were not guilty of the charges they faced.
The defense claimed the defendants had provided real food to actual individuals.
A previous Associated Press investigation in June exposed how fraudsters took billions in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Fraudsters could have possibly stolen over $280 billion, with $123 billion being wasted or incorrectly spent. Together, these figures represent 10% of the $4.3 trillion the government distributed by the previous fall. Over 3,200 defendants have been charged, and the Justice Department has recovered $1.4 billion in swiped pandemic funds.
The Minnesota trial gained attention when the judge and attorneys for both sides learned about the bribe attempt. The judge instructed all seven defendants to hand over their cellphones, so investigators could search for evidence. She also jailed all seven defendants, and held the jury in seclusion.
As per an FBI agent's affidavit, a lady rang at "Juror #52's" place in the Minneapolis suburb of Spring Lake Park the night before the case went to the jury. The juror was not home, but a relative answered the door. The lady presented the relative with a gift bag adorned with a curly ribbon and images of flowers and butterflies, saying it was a "present" for the juror.
"The woman told the relative to inform Juror #52 to say 'not guilty' the next day and that there would be more of that present the following day," the agent stated. "After the woman departed, the relative examined the gift bag and observed it contained a sizable amount of cash."
The juror immediately phoned the police when she got back home, giving them the bag, which included stacks of $100, $50, and $20 bills, totaling about $120,000. The lady who left the bag knew the juror's first name, the agent revealed. The list of people with access to the juror's personal details included prosecutors, defense lawyers, and the seven defendants.
The FBI agent asserted that it was highly likely that someone with access to the juror's personal information conspired with the lady who delivered the $120,000 bribe. The alleged fraud conspiracy in the trial involved electronic communications, such as text messages and emails, the agent added.
Federal penalties for bribing a juror and influencing a juror include a maximum of 15 years in prison.
The food aid was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the state, which funneled the meal funds through nonprofit groups and other partners. As regulations were relaxed to accelerate help to those in need, the defendants allegedly produced invoices for meals not delivered, set up phony companies, laundered money, committed passport forgery, and received kickbacks.
Federal prosecutors maintained that less than a quarter of the money the defendants got through the Feeding our Future nonprofit was used to feed disadvantaged children, and the rest was spent on high-end automobiles, jewelry, travel, and real estate. The seven allegedly stole more than $40 million as a whole, they said.
The defense's main theme was that investigators didn't delve deeply enough to see that they provided real meals to genuine children.
Eighteen other defendants had pleaded guilty by the time of trial. Feeding our Future's founder, Aimee Bock, awaits trial. Bock has claimed her innocence, asserting that she never stole and saw no fraud among her subcontractors.
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The jury initially consisted of eight individuals, but two were removed due to suspected involvement in the bribery attempt. Despite the attempts to influence the jury, several defendants, including Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, and Hayat Mohamed Nur, were found guilty.
The prosecution highlighted that the conspiracy involved not just the defendants, but also potential collaborators who had access to the jurors' personal information.
