Said Farah, 43, pleaded guilty to his involvement in attempting to bribe a juror during the Feeding Our Future trial, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
The trial began on April 22, 2024, before U.S. District Judge David S. Doty and involved seven defendants accused of participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Among them were brothers Said Farah and Abdiaziz Farah. During the proceedings, Said Farah conspired with others—including Abdiaziz Farah and another brother not charged in the case—to offer cash to Juror 52 in exchange for a not guilty verdict. Five people have been charged in connection with the bribery attempt; all have now pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
“I watched this unfold with my own eyes—it was corruption stacked on corruption,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “The Feeding Our Future scheme was already a staggering and brazen fraud. But then came something even more corrosive: a cynical attempt to buy off a juror who stood strong and refused to be corrupted. I cannot overstate how painful this was for all involved. This was an unprecedented attack on our very system of justice. It shook Minnesota to its core. Now we must grapple with how we got here—no more denial, no more looking away. We must not allow corruption and fraud to define the future of justice in Minnesota.”
Court documents reveal that co-conspirators Abdimajid Nur and Abdiaziz Farah searched online for Juror 52’s address and personal details, including information found through Facebook.
Nur recruited Ladan Ali, then living in Seattle, Washington, to deliver the bribe money in exchange for $150,000 payment for her role.
Ali traveled from Seattle to Minneapolis during the trial period to meet Nur and plan the delivery of cash to Juror 52.
On May 30, 2024, Ali flew into Minneapolis as instructed by Nur, who provided her with a photo of Juror 52’s car and directions related to parking locations near the courthouse.
The following day Ali tried unsuccessfully to follow Juror 52 home after court concluded.
On June 1, Ali falsely claimed she had spoken with Juror 52 at a bar and that the juror wanted $500,000 for a not guilty verdict; however, this interaction never took place.
Believing Ali’s story was true, Nur relayed it to Abdiaziz Farah who then contacted Said Farah late on June 1 about gathering funds for the bribe.
By June 2 morning, Said Farah collected part of what would become $200,000 intended as bribe money.
A former Feeding Our Future employee facing separate charges also helped collect cash from various sources including individuals and through a Hawala near Karmel Mall.
That afternoon outside Bushra Wholesalers—a business owned by Said Farah—he and Abdiaziz gave Nur a box containing $200,000 cash intended for Juror 52.
Nur handed off the money in Bloomington where Ali transferred it into gift bags before being instructed by Nur to meet Abdulkarim Farah near Juror 52’s residence so Abdulkarim could record video proof of delivery.
Later that night Said Farah received—and later deleted—a video via encrypted messaging app showing Ali delivering what appeared as bribe money as part of efforts to conceal his involvement.
“The attempted bribery of a juror is a shocking attack on the fabric of our legal system,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr., FBI Minneapolis. “In this country, justice is impartial, swift, and cannot be bought. The extraordinary work on this case attests to the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the judicial process and relentlessly pursue those who seek to corrupt that system.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from IRS – Criminal Investigations Division (IRS-CI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson along with Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Ebert, Harry Jacobs, and Daniel Bobier are prosecuting this case.
