(ConservativeJournal.org) – The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota charged five people for trying to bribe a juror in a pandemic fraud case with $120,000 of cash to get favorable outcomes for defendants.
The accused individuals scrutinized the social media profile of the unknown Juror, referred to as “Juror 52” in the indictment, tracked her daily routine, and installed a GPS device on her car before offering her a bag full of cash. They believed that Juror 52 was the easiest to influence from the whole jury and that she was the youngest and the only Juror of color on the panel.
All five individuals face charges related to the obstruction of justice, conspiracy for bribing jurors and engaging in corrupt practices related to the jurors.
The case was related to a pandemic-era program where seven defendants were facing charges of stealing over $40 million from a federal scheme that was meant to feed hungry children. The program was marred by corrupt practices, and 70 individuals were indicted in different cases for stealing nearly $250 million combined, of which more than $200 million have yet to be recovered.
The primary accused in the whole scheme was Ladan Mohamed Ali, who traveled more than 1,600 miles from Seattle to Minneapolis to deliver a cash bag to Juror 52 in May and agreed to execute the plan for $150,000. She went to the Juror’s home with Said Farah, also an indicted individual, and handed the money to her relative, who opened the door and promised to give more money if the juror voted to acquit the defendants.
However, Juror 52 followed the code of conduct and reported the bribery scheme to relevant authorities, which led to her removal from the case before the start of deliberations.
Police complaints also suggested that Ali was aware of the Juror’s name at a time when only defense lawyers, prosecutors, and the defendants had knowledge about them.
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