MINNEAPOLIS, October 29, 2026 — A federal judge handed down a massive 30-year prison term to Salim Said, the second-longest sentence in Minnesota’s largest pandemic aid scandal involving stolen child nutrition funds.
The Bottom Line
Salim Said was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in what prosecutors describe as Minnesota’s largest fraud scheme to date. The figure that matters is the $44 million in restitution he must pay jointly with other defendants for stealing from taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.
By the Numbers
Said and Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock were both convicted on all counts after a lengthy jury trial more than a year ago. For Said, that was 21 charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and federal program bribery. Bock is now serving a nearly 42-year sentence, making her the top recipient of the longest term. Abdiaziz Farah was sentenced to 28 years for his role in the fraud case and 10 years for the attempt to bribe a juror during the first Feeding Our Future trial.
The Scheme
In 2020, prosecutors say Said enrolled Safari Restaurant in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship. He then used non-profits and shell companies to open several other sites across the state with his codefendants. The scheme involved filing fraudulent reimbursement claims with phony invoices and rosters listing names of fictional children. At the height of the scheme, Said personally submitted 6,000 phony meal claims for Safari and paid bribes to Bock and Feeding Our Future employee Abdikerm Eidleh. Prosecutors said that Said and other defendants connected to Safari stole $44 million from the federal programs.
Defense Arguments
Defense attorney Barry Zone argued Said was not the architect of the fraud and highlighted his traumatic childhood in Somalia. He stated that he hadn’t heard of a single child who went hungry due to the Feeding Our Future fraud case. Zone noted that Ms. Bock signed every check and was the gatekeeper of all the money, asserting his client was not even close to her position. In his arguments, Zone also detailed some of the trauma and abuse that Said experienced as a child in Somalia, referencing letters written on Said’s behalf by his loved ones.
Judge’s Rebuke
U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Rebecca Kline disputed the defense’s narrative, noting Said paid a bribe to her during the proceedings. She stated that this defendant has never taken responsibility and sat in that witness box and lied over and over again. U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Brasel noted that Said has a prior fraud-related conviction which served as an aggravating factor for the sentence. As she handed down the 30-year sentence, Brasel remarked that she feared the day when Minnesota and fraud will not be spoken in the same sentence is a long way off.
Sentencing Proceedings
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors requested that the court impose a 40-year prison term for Salim Said. In contrast, defense attorney Barry Zone asked for a 12-year sentence, arguing that decades-long prison terms were typically reserved for violent crimes like murder. Zone further attempted to distinguish his client’s role from that of Aimee Bock, whom the government identified as the ringleader of the fraud.
In a brief statement provided to the court, Said offered an apology for his role in the case and stated that he would never be on the “wrong side of the law” again. Despite this, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline argued that the defendant had never taken responsibility, noting that he sat in the witness box and lied repeatedly throughout the trial. Judge Nancy Brasel ultimately stated she had difficulty connecting Said’s traumatic upbringing in Somalia with the greed demonstrated in the case, noting that Said had been employed and running a restaurant prior to the fraud.
Sources
- Former Safari Restaurant owner Salim Said sentenced to 30 years for role in Feeding Our Future fraud case
- 'Central organizer' of Feeding Our Future scheme gets 30 years
- Former Safari Restaurant owner Salim Said sentenced to 30 years for role in Feeding Our Future fraud case
Photo: ajay_suresh (CC BY 4.0)
