Juror dismissed after a woman left $120,000 in cash at her home, with an offer of even more money if she voted to acquit seven defendants charged with stealing over $40 million from a pandemic food program.
A juror was dismissed from a high-profile trial after she reported a shocking attempt to bribe her with $120,000 in cash. The 23-year-old juror, identified only as Juror 52, described how a woman left a bag of cash at her home with a note urging her to acquit the defendants. The note promised even more money if she followed through with the plan to acquit the seven individuals charged with embezzling over $40 million from a pandemic food program meant to feed children.
Juror 52 immediately handed the bag over to the police, prompting a strong reaction from the prosecution. “This is completely beyond the pale,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson declared in court. “This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies.”
According to the juror, the woman delivered the cash to her father-in-law on a Sunday evening, with the promise of additional money if the juror voted ‘not guilty.’ Defense attorney Andrew Birrell expressed concern over the accusation, calling it “a troubling and upsetting” development. Thompson suggested that the bribery attempt was orchestrated by someone connected to the case, noting that the woman who delivered the money was identified as Somali, matching the ethnic background of the seven defendants.
Thompson detailed how a woman, described as “possibly Somali, with an accent, wearing a long black dress,” arrived at the juror’s house at 8:50 PM on Sunday. She handed a white gift bag to the juror’s father-in-law, stating it was a present for the juror, using her first name despite it not being publicly disclosed. The note inside instructed the juror to vote ‘not guilty’ in exchange for more cash. The gift bag contained rolls of $100, $50, and $20 bills, which the father-in-law discovered after the woman left. The FBI now holds the cash as evidence.
The trial in question involves seven defendants, the first of 70 expected to face charges in one of the nation’s largest pandemic-related fraud cases. They face 41 criminal charges, including wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, linked to a scheme that defrauded taxpayers of $250 million. To date, 18 other individuals have pleaded guilty, with authorities recovering about $50 million.
Prosecutors allege that only a fraction of the stolen money went to feed low-income children, with the majority spent on luxury items such as cars, jewelry, travel, and property. Defense attorneys have countered, questioning the thoroughness of the FBI’s investigation and suggesting that the case may involve record-keeping issues rather than intentional fraud.
The trial, which began in April, centers on seven defendants affiliated with a restaurant that participated in the food aid program. Those awaiting trial include Feeding Our Future’s founder, Aimee Bock, who has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, presiding over the case, responded to the bribery incident by questioning the remaining 17 jurors and alternates to ensure no other bribery attempts had occurred. None reported unauthorized contact, but Brasel decided to sequester the jury for the rest of the proceedings to ensure a fair trial. “I don’t do it lightly,” Brasel said. “But I want to ensure a fair trial.”
Judge Brasel emphasized the seriousness of the situation, highlighting the potential risk to jurors. She noted that someone had access to the juror’s personal information and might be conspiring with those attempting to influence the trial. Consequently, she ordered an FBI agent to confiscate all defendants’ cell phones, though she did not immediately decide whether to detain the defendants.
FBI Special Agent Travis Wilmer underscored the gravity of the bribery attempt, stating that someone with access to the juror’s information was likely involved. Judge Brasel expressed concern for the juror’s safety, noting that the juror was “terrified” and remained at risk for retaliation. She also pointed out the alarming fact that someone had access to the addresses of the jurors’ families.
The alleged fraud involved misuse of aid money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administered by the state Department of Education. Nonprofits and other partners were supposed to use the funds to provide meals to children. However, prosecutors allege that Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition, which were small nonprofits before the pandemic, disbursed around $200 million each in 2021 by producing invoices for meals that were never served, running shell companies, laundering money, committing passport fraud, and accepting kickbacks.
Lead attorney Thompson emphasized the overwhelming evidence of fraud presented during the trial, including thousands of pages of fake invoices. “The reality is you saw overwhelming evidence of the fraud scheme,” Thompson said. “Fake invoices again and again and again.”
