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Feeding our Future bribe details outlined in new court documents
Federal prosecutors laid out the communication between defendants the morning after the $120,000 bribe attempt.
MINNEAPOLIS — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in July 2024.
The defendants charged in the $120,000 juror bribe attempt during the Feeding our Future meal fraud trial waited anxiously the next morning to see if the juror showed up in court, thinking that if she did, that meant she was “all-in.”
That’s according to a court document filed Monday by prosecutors in the case. But when lead prosecutor Joe Thompson announced the bribe, the document said the defendants immediately began deleting messaging apps on their phones.
Thompson filed the new document in an attempt to add information to the presentence report of Mukhtar Shariff, who was convicted in the meal fraud trial, but until now, was not implicated in the bribe scheme.
“Since the issuance of the final presentence investigation, the government has learned that defendant Shariff knew about the bribery attempt and destroyed communications he had with his co-defendant Abdiaziz Farah about the bribe,” the document said. “But despite Shariff’s attempt to destroy these communications, FBI Computer Analysis and Response Team members were able to recover the notifications of incoming messages on Shariff’s phone as well as Abdimajid Nur and Said Farah’s phones.”
Ladan Ali has already pleaded guilty to her role in the bribery plot, dropping off the bag of money at the home of the woman referred to as “Juror 52.” Ali said she initially planned to steal the money for herself but was not able to because one of her co-defendants allegedly came with her at the last minute to video record her delivering the bribe.
Messages recovered from Shariff’s phone showed his co-defendants allegedly asked how to clean up the video of the bribe since it was raining outside and looked blurry.
Court documents also revealed messages from the alleged mastermind of the bribe plot that night, Abdiaziz Farah, to Shariff:
- 10:26 p.m. from Abdiaziz to Shariff: “100 for our freedom is nothing bro, worth trying everything bro”
- 10:29 p.m. from Abdiaziz to Shariff: “That’s it bro. I have a good feeling she will come through and that’s a lot of money for her family.”
Then Farah makes reference to the federal judge presiding over their case, Nancy Brasel:
- 11:01 p.m. from Abdiaziz to Shariff: “Get some sleep man. You got judge Nancy . . . waiting for you”
- 11:08 p.m. from Abdiaziz to Shariff: “Ameen bro. She is a terrible human being. My wife and siblings stopped coming to court coz they couldn’t stand her”
- 11:14 p.m. from Abdiaziz to Shariff: “She is still a G employee who is jealous of all of us. InshaAllah it will be smooth bro! Goodnight bro.”
The morning Thompson announced the bribe and asked for the defendants to be taken into custody, Thompson noticed several of them immediately grab their cell phones. FBI analysis determined that Shariff uninstalled and deleted the Signal encrypted messaging app from his iPhone at 8:43 a.m., according to the court document.
Shariff’s sentencing date is not currently scheduled. Prosecutors are asking for 21 years in prison.
The Minnesota Department of Health said five Minnesotans became ill in relation to an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots.
ST PAUL, Minnesota — The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is warning people to get rid of any recalled organic carrots in their homes.
On Nov. 16, Grimmway Farms recalled multiple sizes and brands of bagged organic baby and whole carrots. While the products have likely been pulled from shelves, they could still be in people’s refrigerators and freezers. Specific information on brands and sizes affected can be found, here.
Nationwide, at least 39 people have been infected by the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121:H19 outbreak in 18 states.
Five Minnesotans, ages 15-44, became ill between Sept. 21 and Oct. 6. One person has been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. MDH said the illnesses were linked to eating organic carrots purchased from Costco, Target and HyVee and brands included Good and Gather, Bunny Luv and Cal-Organic. Minnesota is one of the states with the highest number of cases.
The news comes just three days after MDH sent out information on E. coli infections linked to burgers at Twin Cities restaurants. MDH said it had identified 10 cases of E. coli 0157 infection in people who had eaten burgers at multiple locations of Red Cow and one case from Hen House Eatery. The ground beef was also distributed to other places so more cases could be identified. Those sickened by the burgers had their meals between Oct. 31 through Nov. 7.
Symptoms typically include stomach cramps and diarrhea, often with bloody stools, and a low-grade fever or no fever.
“That investigation is very much ongoing. We’re in the very, very early stages of the outbreak and it is, in a way, kind of unusual for us to go public so quickly because there are a lot of things that still haven’t been sorted out,” said Carlota Medus, MDH epidemiologist supervisor of the foodborne diseases unit.
Between these two cases and other recent news, it seems E. coli and other foodborne illness outbreaks keep popping up in the news. But Medus said, “It’s pretty average. A pretty typical year.”
According to MDH data, year to date in 2024 there have been 84 cases of E. coli 0157 (the strain linked to the ground beef illnesses). That’s compared to 86 year to date in 2023. However, it is higher than 2021’s 69 cases and the 62 in 2022.
MDH said they just happen to be dealing with two high-profile cases at the same time where there’s a call to action.
“We have a lot of outbreaks in Minnesota and all over the country. We investigate an awful lot of outbreaks and the majority of them, we can actually put interventions in place so quickly that we basically end the risk to the public. So when we go public, it’s because we want the public to do something,” Medus said.
When it comes to the E. coli infections linked to ground beef, Medus said, “We wanted to do public notification because if you are getting sick about now or very recently, you could still reach out to your health care provider and your health care provider can decide if you need additional care.”
She went on to say, “That investigation is still ongoing. So if you’re eating at a table service restaurant and you’re going to eat a hamburger, ask for it well done until we have more answers.”
Regarding the E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, Medus is urging people to check their refrigerators and freezers for any recalled carrots and throw them away.
Medus recommends avoiding any cross-contamination while cooking at home. MDH is also warning people as norovirus season begins to help prevent illness by washing hands and not preparing food for others while sick.
The Lake Street Safety Center opened in early November and a similar facility is expected to open in South Minneapolis in 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS — A violent weekend in Minneapolis included two separate stabbings and what police described as a “chaotic shooting” at a downtown nightclub. It marked the second Minneapolis nightclub shooting in one month.
“Trauma,” Pastor Ian D. Bethel noted. “It is trauma.”
Bethel leads the Unity Community Mediation Team, an organization formed more than two decades ago to help transform public safety within Minneapolis. He said the city is in need of healing.
“It is beyond what the statistics are saying about crime and the use of drugs, etcetera, in our city. We have neglected for years our young and our youth, and now it’s coming back to us.”
The first of a series of community engagement meetings hosted by the City of Minneapolis took place Monday evening at the Midtown Global Market. The meeting is not a direct response to the violent incidents over the weekend. Rather, it’s a way for city representatives and community members to connect about the services and resources needed at the Lake Street Safety Center.
The new center opened in early November and a similar facility is expected to open in South Minneapolis in 2026. The South Minneapolis Safety Center will also house the Minneapolis Police Department 3rd Precinct.
According to a press release from the city, these centers will help create a “community safety ecosystem,” bringing together various organizations, services and resources. “The information gathered from online surveys and more than 40 engagement meetings held across South Minneapolis has helped the City advance its goal of a community safety ecosystem – a collaborative network of organizations, services, and programs working together to address not just crime and safety concerns but also the root causes of crime and violence,” the release read.
Bethel said such centers will not be successful without long-term investments from the city.
“What is the long-term investment from the City Council? What’s the long-term investment in terms of the money that you’re gonna put into it? And not just to turn on the lights and keep the heat running, but what’s your long-term investment to have the right staff in there? What’s your long-term investment to have mental health care, your long-term investment to have after school care, your long-term investment for the children in our community to have a place to come after school or when their parents are working?” Bethel said.
Steven Grundy, who said he spends a lot of time around Lake Street as he uses public transportation to commute from Saint Paul, said he could see how a safety center would be beneficial. He said more resources in the area are needed.
“Computer for resumes and whatnot would be extremely helpful,” he said.
Bethel emphasized the importance of providing resources that extend beyond traditional safety measures, including providing mental health, economic and childcare support.
“It has to be something perpetual. It cannot be a band-aid,” he added. “That’s what the citizens of Minneapolis are crying for and asking for and need. It’s got to be transformational.”
Monday’s meeting was the first of several planned through the rest of the year and into 2025. The next one will take place on Thursday at the 42nd Event Center.
A man who has not yet been identified was struck and killed when hit by a car driving on Highway 61.
MAPLEWOOD, Minn — A man died early Monday morning after authorities say he was hit by a car.
It happened on Highway 61 in Maplewood, near Highway 36, at about 5:45 a.m.
According to Minnesota State Patrol, the driver of a Kia Sportage was going south on Highway 61 when they hit the pedestrian.
The man who died is listed as 24 years old, but State Patrol records list his name currently as ‘John Doe.’ The driver of the car was not hurt.
