FBI agents raided the home of a Feeding Our Future defendant on Wednesday after the names of jurors in a fraud case connected to the organization were leaked.
Mukhtar Shariff’s Minnesota home was raided as the FBI investigates the origin of the jurors’ identity leak after one juror was bribed to vote in favor of acquittal. Shariff is one of five defendants convicted for a fraudulent scheme aimed to exploit government funding in the name of feeding hungry children.
A woman dropped off a bag of $120,000 in cash at the home of one juror, according to the Star Tribune. The juror was told she would receive more cash if she acquitted the defendants. The juror reported the incident to the police and was excused from serving on the jury. Another juror was dismissed after hearing about the incident from a family member.
After the attempted bribery, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel sequestered the jurors for four nights for their safety.
The FBI did not comment on what it found in Shariff’s home. While the jury was deliberating, the FBI raided the home of another defendant, Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, while investigating the origin of who leaked the jurors’ names.
At the start of the trial, a list of jurors’ names was available to attorneys from both sides for a brief period during the jury selection process. Jurors have only been referred to by their assigned numbers throughout the trial.
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Earlier this month, five of seven defendants from Feeding Our Future were found guilty of wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and other related felonies. During the coronavirus pandemic, the defendants received $40 million from the Department of Agriculture, which was supposed to fund 18 million meals across Minnesota. During the trial, prosecutors presented 1,300 falsified invoices as evidence of fraud.
Two defendants were acquitted in what prosecutors called one of the largest pandemic-era fraud cases in history. The most serious charge carries up to a 20-year prison sentence.