Abdiaziz Farah, Bribery, Minnesota 2024

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - 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.

Abdiaziz Farah, 36, of Savage, MN, was one of seven defendants who 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 conspired with his co-defendants, Abdimajid Nur and Said Farah, as 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.’

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.

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.

Farah pleaded guilty to his role in the bribery scheme on June 17, 2024, after being ordered to surrender his phone to law enforcement. In a desperate attempt to delete evidence of the bribe attempt, Farah conducted a factory reset of his iPhone. He is currently awaiting sentencing.

Defendant: Abdiaziz Farah

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Commit Bribery

City and State: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Crime Date: April 22, 2024

Sentence: Awaiting Sentencing

Dollar Amounts: None

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/fourth-defendant-pleads-guilty-scheme-bribe-feeding-our-future-juror