A Minnesota con man, already deep in the nation’s largest pandemic fraud scheme, just earned himself an additional ten years behind bars. His crime? An audacious, brazen attempt to corrupt the very foundation of American justice by bribing a juror with $120,000 in cash.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, one of dozens convicted in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud, faced a federal judge this week and was handed the stiff extra sentence for the bribery attempt. Federal prosecutor Matt Murphy did not mince words, calling Farah’s actions "an unprecedented attack on the justice system and on our democracy itself."
The details of the plot reveal a shocking disregard for the rule of law. During his initial trial for running a fraudulent food assistance site, Farah and two co-defendants delivered a bag stuffed with $120,000 in cash directly to the juror’s home, promising even more funds if she voted for acquittal.
Investigators say Farah and his conspirators singled out the youngest juror, and the only person of color on the panel, under the belief she would be most susceptible to such a scheme. This wasn't a desperate, spur-of-the-moment act; it was a calculated assault. Farah reportedly surveilled the juror, tracking her car with a GPS device, finding her personal information on social media, and even watching her home before making their move.
Thankfully, the juror exemplified true civic responsibility, immediately reporting the bribe to law enforcement. Her integrity thwarted a direct attack on the integrity of the courts and our electoral process, leading to a separate trial and Farah’s subsequent conviction for bribery.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, Farah, already serving 28 years for the Feeding Our Future fraud, offered an apology to Judge Eric Tostrud and to the juror. "I completely denied her civic responsibility to be an independent, fair and impartial juror," Farah stated. "I regret it every day, and I should have never been involved in such conduct that took away the opportunity for her to proudly serve our community, our state and our country."
However, the gravity of his actions resonated deeply with the court. Judge Tostrud remarked it was "hard to imagine a more serious case of bribery" and labeled it a "coordinated assault on our system of justice." And as if the bribery wasn’t enough, Farah also faced charges for obstruction of justice. The day after the juror reported the bribe, when the judge ordered defendants to surrender their cell phones, Farah performed a factory reset, deleting critical messages with co-defendants and video evidence of the cash drop-off.
The underlying Feeding Our Future scheme itself represents a monumental failure of oversight and a massive betrayal of public trust. This fraud, which siphoned nearly $250 million in pandemic-era federal funds intended for children’s meal programs, put the administration of Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz in a serious hot seat due to the rampant fraud occurring under his watch.
More than 60 individuals have now been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with the scam, with nearly 80 people charged overall. Farah’s latest conviction serves as a powerful reminder that while some may try to undermine the justice system with cash and deceit, accountability for such attacks, and for the theft of taxpayer dollars, will ultimately prevail. This nation demands honesty, integrity, and the sacred protection of its judicial process from those who would corrupt it for personal gain.
