Consecutive Sentencing for Judicial Interference
MINNEAPOLIS (Azat TV) – A federal judge has sentenced Abdiaziz Shafii Farah to an additional 10 years in prison for his role in a coordinated attempt to bribe a juror during the 2024 Feeding Our Future fraud trial. This sentence will run consecutively to the 28-year prison term Farah is already serving for his conviction in the underlying massive child-nutrition fraud scheme, effectively extending his federal incarceration to 38 years.
The bribery attempt, which took place during the high-stakes Feeding Our Future trial, involved a sophisticated plot to influence the outcome by targeting a specific individual identified in court documents as “Juror 52.” According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Farah and his co-conspirators monitored the juror’s residence, researched their private address, and collected funds to facilitate the bribe.
The Bribery Scheme and Evidence Destruction
The conspiracy reached its peak when a Hallmark gift bag containing $120,000 in cash was delivered to a relative at the juror’s home. The conspirators explicitly informed the relative that additional funds would be provided if the juror voted to acquit the defendants. The juror immediately reported the incident to law enforcement, preventing the scheme from compromising the trial’s outcome.
Following the discovery of the plot, federal investigators uncovered that Farah had received a recording of the cash delivery via an encrypted messaging application. When ordered to surrender his mobile device during the subsequent investigation, Farah performed a factory reset, destroying digital evidence including messages and video recordings associated with the crime. Despite these efforts, he pleaded guilty to juror bribery in June 2025.
Stakes of the Underlying Fraud
The additional 10-year term is distinct from the 28-year sentence Farah received in August 2025 for his central role in the Feeding Our Future fraud. Prosecutors established that Farah and his associates siphoned over $47 million in federal funds by fabricating claims for 18 million meals purportedly served to children. Farah personally secured more than $8 million from the scheme, which he utilized to acquire luxury assets and real estate both domestically and internationally. The court also ordered him to pay approximately $47.9 million in restitution.