MINNEAPOLIS— Five of the seven defendants accused of defrauding more than $40 million in the Feeding our Future COVID relief fraud case have been found guilty on multiple counts.
The jury deliberated for four days before reaching a verdict around 12:30 pm on Friday.
The charges ranged from bank fraud, money laundering and federal program bribery. Two of the defendants – Said Shafii Farah and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin – were found not guilty of the nine and three charges they faced respectively.
One defendant, Abdiaziz Farah, was found guilty of 23 separate charges, but was also found not guilty of any of the wire fraud counts he faced. Mohamed Jama Ismail was found guilty of three of the four charges, while Abdimajid Mohamed Nur was found guilty of 10 of the 13 he faced. Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff and Hayat Nor were found guilty of four of the six charges they faced.
The seven Minnesota residents are the first of 70 defendants to stand trial in what federal authorities have called “the largest pandemic fraud in the United States.” In total, the plan siphoned off $250 million in federal funds at a time when rules were being relaxed to keep the U.S. economy afloat.
The nonprofit’s founder, Aimee Bock, has maintained her innocence. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty. Prosecutors accused the defendants of spending money on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property. Only a fraction went to low-income children.
The trial itself was made more complicated when a juror reported that she had a $120,000 bribe with the promise of more if she voted to acquit the seven suspects in the case. She was dismissed Monday, along with another juror who reported learning of the attempted bribery. Federal authorities seized the defendants’ cellphones and the judge seized the jury pool.
FBI agents searched the defendants’ homes in Savage on Wednesday. According to the Associated Press, the house belonged to Farah, who prosecutors described as the leader of the seven.
Charges related to bribing or influencing a juror carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. The FBI said the investigation is ongoing.
Note: The above video first aired on June 7 at noon, before the verdict was reached.
