A jury convicted five Minnesota residents but acquitted two others for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic.
A jury convicted five Minnesota residents but acquitted two others on Friday for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic.
The case received widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash.
That juror was dismissed before deliberations began, and a second juror who was told about the bribe attempt was also dismissed.
An FBI investigation of the attempted bribe continues, with no arrests announced.
The seven defendants are the first of 70 to stand trial in what federal prosecutors have called one of the nation’s largest COVID-19-related frauds, exploiting rules that were kept lax so that the economy wouldn’t crash during the pandemic.
More than $250 million in federal funds was taken in the Minnesota scheme overall, with only about $50 million of it recovered, authorities said.
The defendants faced a mix of multiple counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and federal programs bribery. It ended with a split verdict.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff and Hayat Mohamed Nur were found guilty on most of the counts against them.
Said Shafii Farah and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin were acquitted on all counts they faced.
Defense attorneys argued that the defendants provided real meals to real people.
An Associated Press analysis published last June documented how thieves across the country plundered billions in federal COVID-19 relief dollars.
