MINNEAPOLIS — Recent legal documents reveal a chaotic attempt by defendants in a federal fraud case to persuade a juror to favor an acquittal. The prosecution outlined these allegations involving Mukhtar Shariff, one of five individuals convicted earlier this year of fraud linked to a program intended to assist children during the pandemic.
According to a supplementary presentencing report filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, Shariff and fellow defendant Abdiaziz Farah reportedly discussed a $120,000 cash bribe via an encrypted messaging platform known as Signal. The report indicates that Shariff deleted the app shortly after being instructed to turn his phone over to the FBI, yet investigators managed to retrieve the messages with the help of computer analysts.
Prosecutors provided an example of the communication where Farah expressed, “100 for our freedom is nothing, bro, worth trying everything bro,” to Shariff. Just minutes later, he added, “That’s it bro. I have a good feeling she will come through and that’s a lot of money for her family,” suggesting their determination to influence the juror.
Efforts to reach Shariff and Farah’s attorney for a statement were unsuccessful as of Tuesday. The charges against the defendants stem from their alleged involvement in a significant fraud scheme that sought to steal over $40 million from a federal initiative meant to support children during the COVID-19 crisis. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger characterized their purported bribery scheme as reminiscent of a scene from a mob film.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants went as far as to gather personal information about the juror through social media, conducted surveillance on her, and tracked her movements. They reportedly purchased a GPS device intended for installation on her vehicle. Authorities suspect they targeted the juror, identified as “Juror #52,” due to her youth and minority status, believing she could be more empathetic towards their case.
Ladan Mohamed Ali, 31, from Seattle, has pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to bribe a juror, while Abdimajid Mohamed Nur admitted guilt to one count of juror bribery in July. Three other defendants have entered not guilty pleas. Although Farah faces bribery charges, it remains unclear if he has submitted a plea yet, and Shariff has not been charged with bribery himself.
Nur reportedly confessed to recruiting Ali, who delivered the bribe to the juror’s residence for a sum of $150,000. Prosecutors revealed that Ali misled Nur into believing she had met the juror at a bar, claiming the juror demanded $500,000 for a favorable verdict, instructing her to deliver the funds when she would be alone at home. However, prosecutors assert that Ali never actually contacted the juror.
In another exchange on Signal, while Farah was making arrangements for the $500,000, Ali wrote, “This girl is not playing. Tell him to sell a kidney babe if he has to!!!” Nur had reportedly given Ali $200,000 to complete the bribery attempt. Investigators say that in June, Ali visited the juror’s house and passed a gift bag to a family member, indicating further payments would follow if the juror voted not guilty. Ultimately, Ali delivered $120,000 but retained $80,000 for herself.
The juror subsequently reported the incident to law enforcement, leading to an ongoing FBI investigation.