$120,000 Bribe Attempt Rocks $250 Million Fraud Trial in Minneapolis

A shock­ing attempt to tam­per with a high-pro­file fraud tri­al in Min­neapo­lis unfold­ed when a juror received a $120,000 cash bribe at their home. 

This brazen act, tar­get­ing a juror in a $250 mil­lion case against Feed­ing Our Future, a Min­neapo­lis non-prof­it accused of embez­zling pan­dem­ic aid meant for chil­dren, sent shock­waves through the legal system.

The juror, a 23-year-old woman (Juror 52), was­n’t present when a bag con­tain­ing the cash (in $20, $50, and $100 bills) was left at their doorstep. How­ev­er, fam­i­ly mem­bers alert­ed author­i­ties. A note accom­pa­ny­ing the bribe promised more mon­ey for an acquit­tal vote. The report­ed deliv­ery per­son was a Soma­lian woman.

This inci­dent, labeled “out­ra­geous” by Assis­tant U.S. Attor­ney Joseph Thomp­son, mir­rored actions from “mob movies.” The sev­en defen­dants, all East African, were prompt­ly re-arrested.

Juror 52 was dis­missed, and the remain­ing jury (17 mem­bers and alter­nates) were ques­tioned. To ensure their safe­ty and pre­vent fur­ther tam­per­ing, the judge ordered the jury’s seques­tra­tion for the tri­al’s duration.