MINNEAPOLIS – Said Farah, age 43, the fifth defendant charged in the juror bribery scheme, pled guilty today to his role in providing a cash bribe to a juror in the Feeding Our Future trial, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
On April 22, 2024, seven defendants went to trial before U.S. District Judge David S. Doty for their roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Two of the defendants on trial were brothers-defendant Said Farah and his brother, Abdiaziz Farah. During the trial, Said Farah conspired with others, including his brother, Abdiaziz Farah, and a third brother not charged in the case, Abdulkarim Farah, to provide a cash bribe to one of the jurors, known as Juror 52, in exchange for returning a not guilty verdict in the trial. In total, five defendants have thus far been charged in the juror bribery case. Said Farah is the fifth defendant to plead guilty. All five defendants are currently pending sentencing before Judge Doty. Those sentencings dates have not yet been set.
“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.”…