Source: US FBI
MINNEAPOLIS – Abdiaziz Farah, who was convicted of fraud after the first Feeding Our Future trial, has pleaded guilty to his role in providing a cash bribe to a juror in that same trial, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
On April 22, 2024, seven defendants went to trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel for their roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. During the trial, Abdiaziz Farah, 36, of Savage, MN, conspired with his co-defendants, Abdimajid Nur and Said Farah, also well as with two other people, Abdulkarim Farah and Ladan Ali, to provide a cash bribe to one of the jurors in exchange for returning a not guilty verdict in the trial.
“The attempted bribery of a Feeding Our Future juror sent shockwaves throughout Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Abdiaziz Farah did what few criminal defendants have ever had the audacity to do—he and his co-conspirators tried to buy a not guilty verdict. They were thwarted by Juror 52, who could not be bought, and by the excellent work of law enforcement. Farah and all involved in this despicable scheme will be held to account.”
“Juror bribery is an attack on the integrity of our justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Farah’s actions directly undermined the rule of law. In partnership with our law enforcement colleagues, the FBI is unwavering in our pledge to safeguard the incorruptibility of our judicial process and ensure those who threaten that process must answer for their actions.”
According to court documents, after the conspirators identified and decided to bribe Juror 52, at least one of Farah’s co-conspirators conducted surveillance of Juror 52 at Juror 52’s house. At or around the same time, Ladan Ali was recruited to deliver the bribe money to Juror 52. Farah worked with his co-conspirators to gather the funds necessary for the bribe. In the early morning of June 2, 2024, in furtherance of that effort, Farah sent a message to his brother and co-defendant Said Farah using an encrypted messaging app. Abdiaziz Farah told Said Farah to “[p]lease have the money ready by 10 please. It’s very important for everything we have.”
Later on June 2, 2024, Farah instructed his co-defendant Abdimajid Nur to meet him at Said Farah’s business, Bushra Wholesalers, to pick up the bribe money. Abdimajid Nur did so. However, Farah and Said Farah did not fully trust Ladan Ali, and they remained concerned that Juror 52 would not follow through with an acquittal. As such, a co-conspirator directed Abdulkarim Farah to drive Ladan Ali to Juror 52’s house and record a video of her delivery of the bribe money.
After meeting Ladan Ali not far from Juror 52’s house, Abdulkarim Farah and Ladan Ali drove to a nearby Target store where Abdulkarim Farah purchased a screwdriver to remove the license plate from Ladan Ali’s rental car prior to delivering the bribe to Juror 52 in an effort to avoid detection.
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on June 2, 2024, Abdulkarim Farah drove Ladan Ali to Juror 52’s house to deliver the bribe. Abdulkarim Farah took a video recording as Ladan Ali approached Juror 52’s house with a gift bag containing the bribe money. Ladan Ali handed the gift bag to a relative of Juror 52 and explained there would be more money if Juror 52 voted to acquit the defendants.
After Ladan Ali delivered the bribe, Abdulkarim Farah sent the video he had taken to his brother, Abdiaziz Farah. Abdiaziz Farah then forwarded that video to the third Farah brother, Said, in a message that said, “watch and delete.”
On June 3, 2024, Farah was present in court when prosecutors announced law enforcement’s discovery of the bribe attempt. Minutes later, after being ordered by Judge Nancy Brasel to surrender his phone to law enforcement, Farah conducted a factory reset of his iPhone in order to delete the messages, video, and other evidence of the bribe attempt from his phone.
Abdiaziz Farah pleaded guilty on June 17, 2025, in U.S. District Court before Judge David S. Doty to one count of bribery of a juror. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from IRS – Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case.