Minnesota State Wire

Said Farah, 43, has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme to bribe a juror during the Feeding Our Future fraud trial, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Farah is the fifth person to plead guilty in the case, with all five defendants awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge David S. Doty.

The trial began on April 22, 2024, with seven defendants facing charges related to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Among them were brothers Said Farah and Abdiaziz Farah. During the proceedings, Said Farah conspired with Abdiaziz and another brother, Abdulkarim Farah (who has not been charged), to offer a cash bribe to Juror 52 in exchange for a not guilty verdict.

“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 indicate that co-conspirators Abdimajid Nur and Abdiaziz Farah obtained personal information about Juror 52 through online searches and social media platforms such as Facebook. They identified her home address and gathered background details.

Nur recruited Ladan Ali, who lived in Seattle at the time, to deliver the bribe money in exchange for $150,000. Ali traveled from Seattle to Minneapolis during the trial and coordinated with Nur regarding surveillance of Juror 52 as she left court.

On May 31, 2024, Ali attempted to follow Juror 52 after court proceedings but did not make contact with her. The following day, Ali falsely claimed that 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, Nur informed Abdiaziz Farah of the supposed agreement, leading him to seek funds for the bribe. On June 1, Abdiaziz contacted Said Farah about collecting cash for the plan.

On June 2, Said Farah gathered part of $200,000 intended for bribing Juror 52 from various sources including individuals and a Hawala near Karmel Mall.

Later that day outside Bushra Wholesalers—a business owned by Said Farah—he and Abdiaziz handed over a cardboard box containing $200,000 in cash to Nur.

Nur met Ali in Bloomington where she transferred the money into Hallmark gift bags before planning delivery near Juror 52’s residence along with Abdulkarim Farah who would record proof of delivery.

Said Farah later received video footage of this delivery via encrypted messaging app but deleted it afterward.

“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 led by the FBI with assistance from IRS – Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson along with Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Ebert, Harry Jacobs, and Daniel Bobier are prosecuting.