In a shocking turn of events, Minnesota authorities seized cellphones and detained all seven defendants in a case involving an alleged attempt to bribe a juror with a staggering $120,000 in cash.
The defendants are facing charges for purportedly embezzling over $40 million from a program designed to provide meals for children during the pandemic.
The case was handed over to the jury late Monday afternoon, following the dismissal of a 23-year-old juror who reported the attempted bribe to the police. She was promptly replaced with an alternate. The juror claimed that a woman had delivered the bag of cash to her home, promising additional funds if she voted for acquittal. The woman left the bag with her father-in-law on Sunday, stating that another bag of cash would follow if the juror voted for acquittal, as reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
On Tuesday morning, a second juror was dismissed, as reported by KSTP-TV and KARE-TV. According to U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, the juror had informed her family on Monday night about the jury's sequestration. A family member responded by asking, "Is it because of the bribe?" The juror reported this conversation to the court and was instructed not to discuss it with other jurors. She was subsequently replaced with an alternate.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson expressed his outrage in court on Monday, stating, "This is completely beyond the pale. This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies."
Defense attorney Andrew Birrell described the cash bag incident as "a troubling and upsetting accusation."
Minneapolis FBI spokesperson Diana Freedman declined to provide information about the ongoing investigation on Tuesday.
The seven defendants are the first of an anticipated 70 to face trial in a conspiracy that allegedly cost taxpayers $250 million. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty, and authorities claim to have recovered approximately $50 million in one of the nation's largest pandemic-related fraud cases. Prosecutors allege that only a fraction of the funds were used to feed low-income children, with the majority being spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel, and property.
The trial, which began in April, saw defense attorneys questioning the quality of the FBI's investigation. They suggested that the case might be more about record-keeping issues than fraud, as the defendants tried to navigate the rapidly changing rules of the food aid program.
The seven initial defendants were associated with a restaurant participating in the food aid program. Those still awaiting trial include Feeding our Future's founder Aimee Bock, who has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Before allowing the trial to proceed with final closing arguments on Monday, Brasel questioned the remaining 17 jurors and alternates. None reported any unauthorized contact at that point. As a precaution, Brasel decided to sequester the jury for the remainder of the proceedings.
"I dont do it lightly," Brasel said. "But I want to ensure a fair trial."
Brasel also ordered the detention of all seven defendants and instructed an FBI agent to confiscate the defendants phones.
The aid money originated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was administered by the state Department of Education. Nonprofits and other partners under the program were supposed to serve meals to children.
Two of the involved groups, Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition, were small nonprofits before the pandemic. However, in 2021, they disbursed around $200 million each. Prosecutors allege that they generated invoices for meals that were never served, operated shell companies, laundered money, engaged in passport fraud, and accepted kickbacks.
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