A Minnesota fraudster, Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to bribe a juror with a $120,000 cash payment.
Farah had already received a 28‑year sentence for siphoning tens of millions of dollars from a federal nutrition program that was intended to feed children during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
During the 2024 trial, prosecutors said Farah and six co‑defendants tracked a juror’s online presence, obtained her address, and surveilled her home. On June 2, a woman delivered a white gift bag containing $120,000 in cash to the juror’s relative, who was instructed to tell the juror to vote “not guilty.” The relative passed the money to the juror, who immediately called 911 and surrendered the cash.
The attempted bribe triggered a courthouse lockdown. All seven defendants were taken back into custody, their cell phones were seized, and remaining jurors were sequestered.
Investigators discovered that Farah had factory‑reset his iPhone after being ordered to surrender it, likely to erase messages and video evidence tied to the bribery scheme. Five of the defendants were ultimately indicted and later pleaded guilty to the conspiracy.
The broader fraud trial involved seven defendants; five were convicted of participating in a $40 million fraud scheme linked to the nutrition program, while two were acquitted.
An audit of the state Department of Education found that inadequate oversight and a failure to act on warning signs created an environment where the fraud could flourish, and the department did not hold the organization accountable.
After Farah’s sentencing, a federal attorney emphasized that justice cannot be bought, citing the juror’s decisive action to expose corruption.
