FBI agents raid Feeding Our Future defendant's home
Follow the StarTribune for the news, photos and videos from the Twin Cities and beyond. FBI agents raided the home of a defendant, Mukhtar Shariff, in Burnsville, as they investigate how jurors' names were leaked to a woman who attempted to bribe a juror before the jury reached a verdict. The woman had given a $120,000 in cash to another juror, promising more if she voted to acquit. The juror was immediately excused from the jury and a second was removed when she heard about the attempted bribery from a family member. The jury was sequestered for four nights after the attempted bribe, and the judge added security to the courtroom and detained defendants and confiscated their phones.
Published : 3 weeks ago by Star Tribune, Kelly Smith in Politics
FBI agents raided a Feeding Our Future defendant's home on Wednesday as they investigate how jurors' names were leaked to a woman who attempted to bribe a juror before the jury reached a verdict last week.
A neighbor told the Star Tribune that FBI agents arrived to search Mukhtar Shariff's house in Burnsville starting around 8 a.m. He's one of the five defendants convicted by a jury for their role in a scheme to defraud the government of money intended to feed hungry children.
The day before final closing arguments in the six-week trial, a woman dropped off a bag of $120,000 in cash at one juror's home and added that the juror would get more cash if she voted to acquit. The juror, who immediately reported the incident to police, was excused from serving on the jury.
The list of jurors' names was briefly available to attorneys in the case during jury selection. Throughout the trial, jurors have been identified only by their juror number. A second juror was excused when she heard about the attempted bribery from a family member.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel sequestered the jury for four nights after the attempted bribery until they reached a verdict on Friday, and added security to the courtroom, detained defendants and confiscated their phones.