Woman Confesses to Paying $120,000 Bribe to Juror in Feeding Our Future Case

Ladan, with tears welling in her eyes, affirmed, “Yes, I do,” when Thompson repeatedly queried her understanding of the gravity of the situation. Thompson continued, persistently asking, “Given everything, do you still wish to proceed today?” “Absolutely,” Ladan replied firmly. When questioned about her guilty plea, Ladan explained, “From the outset, I intended to own up to my actions.” Notably, she stood alone in the courtroom, devoid of familial or friend support.

Ladan found herself among five individuals indicted for jury tampering. One of her co-defendants, Abdimajid Nur, confessed in July to one count of juror bribery, facing a prison term of five to six and a half years. Meanwhile, Abdiaziz Farah, Said Farah, and Abdulkarim Farah, all brothers, proclaimed their innocence, pleading not guilty in July.

The developments during Ladan’s plea hearing unveiled shocking revelations regarding the bribery attempt. It came to light that her original scheme involved pocketing all the bribe money for herself. However, she ultimately kept only $80,000 from the $200,000 intended for a juror. Upon leaving the courtroom with her attorney, Eric Newmark, Ladan refrained from making any comments.

Since her June charges, Ladan has remained at liberty, waiting for a sentencing date that has yet to be set.

**High-Stakes Trial Hit by Bribery Attempt**

The bribery incident sent shockwaves through a highly publicized six-week trial tied to the broader Feeding Our Future investigation. This trial marked a significant moment, as it was the first of its kind concerning the Feeding Our Future allegations, with seventy individuals accused of misappropriating $250 million in federal food aid funds designated for underprivileged children amid the pandemic.

During the joint trial, a jury found five out of seven defendants guilty of embezzling $41 million. Among those were Abdimajid, Abdiaziz, and Said. While Abdimajid and Abdiaziz faced conviction, Said escaped with an acquittal. Notably, other defendants were not implicated in the bribery scandal.

Just a day shy of jury deliberations, Ladan appeared at the residence of Juror 52, a 23-year-old woman. Prosecutors reveal that Ladan targeted her for being the youngest juror and the sole person of color on the jury. After a family member answered the door, Ladan handed over a gift bag containing $120,000 in cash, conveying the message that Juror 52 would receive additional funds for a not guilty verdict. Although Juror 52 was not home initially, her immediate alarm upon discovering the incident prompted her to alert authorities.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson revealed in a July hearing that Juror 52 was profoundly shaken. “Juror 52 was terrified,” he recounted, adding that footage from police body cameras showed a visibly distressed juror who had been crying.

In swift action, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel relieved Juror 52 from her duties, implementing strict measures to keep the jury isolated during deliberations to shield them from news of the attempted bribery. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting, “The sophistication and intentionality of this plot cannot be overstated.”

Prosecutors assert that the defendants thoroughly researched Juror 52, uncovering details about her and her family, even pinpointing her address. Allegedly, Abdimajid enlisted Ladan to orchestrate the bribery scheme. Details in court documents indicate that Ladan, a Seattle resident, traveled to Minneapolis in May to strategize with Abdimajid, all for a payout of $150,000. She surveilled Juror 52, trailing her homeward from a Minneapolis parking garage, passing her residence on multiple occasions.

**A Failed Scheme for Personal Gain**

During Thursday’s proceedings, Ladan confessed to fabricating a story that she met Juror 52 at a bar, where she supposedly explained the bribery offer. She claimed that Juror 52 showed interest in a not guilty vote for a sum of $500,000. In a twist, Ladan admitted her intent to keep the entire $500,000—or whatever amount her co-defendants could muster—for herself, fearing that the bribery endeavor could fail.

Despite believing Ladan’s narrative, Abdimajid only managed to cobble together $200,000 for the operation, as revealed during the hearing. Ladan responded to Thompson’s questions with simple affirmatives, minimizing her remarks.

Initial plans indicated that Ladan would present the bribe to the juror while being discreetly filmed by Abdulkarim in another vehicle. However, the plot unraveled when Abdulkarim ended up driving her to Juror 52’s home. During the drive, Ladan quietly managed to stash away $80,000, ultimately delivering $120,000 to the juror’s doorstep. Fortunately, federal authorities have successfully retrieved the funds.

This bribery saga roots back to the extensive Feeding Our Future case, which involved the Minnesota Department of Education disbursing federal resources to sponsor organizations, including Feeding Our Future and Partners in Quality Care. Subsequently, these organizations were supposed to allocate the funds to food vendors that served ready-to-eat meals to needy local children.

However, numerous organizations falsely reported serving far more meals than they did, or failed to provide any meals at all, simply to exploit federal funds. Prosecutors allege that the misappropriated money fueled extravagant personal expenses like car purchases, real estate, and vacations.

Apart from the five defendants convicted during the trial, eighteen others admitted their guilt. Ladan, who is not charged in the wider Feeding Our Future investigation, is linked to a company implicated in the fraud, as the signatory on a bank account for Afro Produce LLC—a company receiving millions from fraud-associated entities. She has also received checks from Afro Produce in recent years, notably amounting to over $1.6 million in federal funds funneled from three organizations implicated in the trial. Furthermore, Ladan listed GarGaar Family Services as her employer on financial documents, a company involved in federal food-aid programs at one point.