On Wednesday, two out of five individuals charged of conspiring to bribe a Minnesota juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for the acquittal of defendants in one of the biggest COVID-19-related fraud cases in the country, entered a plea of not guilty.
In Minneapolis, U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony Leung arraigned Shafii Farah and Abdulkarim Shafii Farah. Last week, a third co-defendant pleaded not guilty to similar charges. The two men are accused of conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribery of a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror. Leung ordered their detention before trial, highlighting the significant threat these crimes pose to the fundamental aspects of the judicial system.
During their time on the bench, Judge Leung has never encountered an incident of attempting to bribe a juror that was as calculated, organized, and executed as the one they recently faced. This attack on the judicial system and the rule of law is a serious matter, according to Leung.
Said Farah and Abdulkarim Farah’s attorneys have requested Leung to release them before trial, with specific conditions that they believe should be considered. They argued that the law does not presume detention for the charges their clients are facing. Moreover, they highlighted that both men have strong community ties that would prevent them from fleeing.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, instances of juror bribes are extremely rare, to the point of being “nearly unprecedented.” He drew a comparison between the five defendants from Minnesota and John Gotti, the infamous mob boss whose 1987 trial involved a juror who was discovered to have accepted a cash bribe in exchange for securing an acquittal.
According to Leung, endangering the rule of law poses a significant threat to the community, which is why the detention of both individuals was necessary.
Last week, court documents were released exposing an elaborate scheme in which the defendants conducted extensive research on “Juror 52,” including gathering personal information from her social media accounts, conducting surveillance on her, monitoring her daily activities, and purchasing a GPS device to place on her vehicle. Authorities suspect that the defendants singled out the juror, who is the youngest and believed to be the only person of color on the panel.
According to the FBI, an incident occurred where Ali allegedly visited the juror’s house and delivered a gift bag containing $120,000 in cash to the juror’s relative. Ali allegedly informed the juror’s relative that there would be additional money if the juror voted to acquit. The juror immediately contacted law enforcement, and the juror was dismissed from the case before deliberations began.
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, and Ladan Mohamed Ali are among the other three individuals who were charged with crimes connected to the bribe. Abdiaziz Farah, who is also facing one count of obstruction of justice, will not be arraigned until July 10 because he recently hired a new attorney. Ali entered a plea of not guilty last week, and hearings for Nur have yet to take place.
The trial of seven Minnesota defendants, who were charged with stealing over $40 million from a federal program meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic, garnered renewed attention following a bribe attempt. The fraud trial resulted in the conviction of Abdiaziz Farah and Abdimajid Nur, among others, while Said Farah and one other person were acquitted. However, it’s important to note that Abdulkarim Farah and Ali were not involved in the case.
According to authorities, the scheme resulted in the theft of over $250 million in federal funds, with only approximately $50 million having been recuperated so far. Prosecutors have revealed that Abdiaziz Farah utilized stolen funds to acquire a 12-story apartment complex in Nairobi, Kenya, after transferring millions of dollars.
According to prosecutors, the bribery charges will have a long-lasting impact on the criminal justice system in the area. They have emphasized this in their public statements following the announcement of the charges.
Thompson expressed that the impact of this incident on the legal community cannot be overstated. It has raised concerns about the future of jury trials in this district and the way they are conducted.