Feeding Our Future defendant pleads guilty to juror bribe attempt during trial in meal fraud case

Sarah Nelson, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 18, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MINNEAPOLIS — A man portrayed by prosecutors as a ringleader in the Feeding Our Future meal fraud scheme has pleaded guilty to his role in the attempt to bribe a juror as he stood trial.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, of Savage, pleaded guilty to bribery of a juror Wednesday in a Minneapolis federal courtroom as part of an agreement that stipulated a recommended sentence ranging from eight to 10 years in prison and a minimum $30,000 fine.

Farah is one of five people charged in the bribe scheme that came at the close of his federal trial of which he and several defendants faced numerous fraud and money laundering charges.

According to court filings, Abdiaziz Farah arranged for his co-defendant Abdimajid Mohamed Nur to pick up the bribe money at a business of his brother and fellow co-conspirator, Said Shafii Farah. Abdiaziz Farah further pleaded guilty to directing his other brother, Abdulkarim, to drive a woman they recruited, Ladan Mohamed Ali, of Seattle, to drop off the bag holding $120,000 in cash at the juror’s home. The delivery was filmed and sent to Abdiaziz Farah, who texted his brother the footage with a message to “watch and delete.”

Federal prosecutors announced the bribe attempt the following day in court. Abdiaziz Farah was ordered to turn in his cellphone to law enforcement minutes later, but conducted a factory reset on his phone that scrubbed messages, video and other evidence of the bribe, the plea said. Jurors later convicted him of an array of wire fraud and money laundering charges after finding him guilty of defrauding the federal government out of more than $28 million through his restaurant Empire Cuisine and Market LLC.

Abdiaziz Farah is the fourth person implicated in the bribe scheme to enter a plea. The fifth and final defendant accused in the plot, Abdiaziz Farah’s brother, Said, filed a notice early May of his intent to change his not guilty plea at a future court hearing.

________