30-year sentence in Minnesota fraud that drew Trump backlash

Government says Salim Said ‘hit the jackpot’ in a scheme claiming to feed needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporters of Salim Said, who was found guilty in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, leave after Said's sentencing hearing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 28, 2026 [Ellen Schmidt/AP Photo]

A 37-year-old man who played a key role in defrauding a United States food programme in the state of Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, in a case that has drawn intense national scrutiny and political pressure from President Donald Trump.

The widespread scheme in Minnesota, which resulted in dozens of convictions, has repeatedly drawn attacks from Trump, who ridiculed the Democratic governor for failing to stop the scheme and cited it as grounds for an immigration crackdown in the state’s largest cities.

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Salim Said, who operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, was accused of vastly overstating the number of meals when seeking payment for providing food to needy children. The government said he was responsible for $44 million in fraud, some of which was committed by others he recruited.

“You took more than taxpayers’ dollars to enrich yourself. You took the reputation of our state down with you,” US District Judge Nancy Brasel said.

Said was claiming a “ridiculous daily distribution of 6,000 meals” while FBI cameras showed 40 people a day collecting food, prosecutors said in a court filing.

“The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie,” prosecutors said.

Said, who was born in Somalia, denied the allegations while testifying at his 2025 trial, saying many meals were delivered off site. But he changed course and expressed remorse at his sentencing on Wednesday.

Defence lawyer Barry Zone, who had asked for a 12-year prison sentence, disputed the government’s claim that Said was the “architect”.

COVID-19 brought changes to a federal programme that typically fed children through schools. Restaurants could participate, and food distribution was extended to places outside schools.

“For 21 consecutive months, Said made thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims,” prosecutors said. “Each submission represented meals purportedly provided to underprivileged children, yet the listed children themselves were entirely fictitious.”

The government said Said hit the jackpot, using the stolen funds to buy a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate and an $87,000 pickup truck.

Former Minnesota state Senator Scott Jensen, left, and former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Matt Birk speak at a news conference at the State Capitol in St Paul, Minnesota, attacking Democratic Governor Tim Walz over his administration’s handling of an investigation into the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, on September 26, 2022 [File: Steve Karnowski/AP]

Said was convicted in 2025 alongside Aimee Bock, leader of the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, who is serving a 42-year prison sentence for devising the scheme and was ordered to repay $242 million.

State auditors found that Minnesota’s education department received numerous complaints about Feeding Our Future but often told the group to police itself. Following relentless criticism from Trump over theft in federally funded programmes, Governor Tim Walz announced in January that he would not run for re-election.

政府称萨利姆·赛义德在一项旨在新冠疫情期间为贫困儿童提供食物的计划中“中了头彩”。

2026年10月28日，在明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市，因“喂养我们的未来”欺诈计划被判有罪的萨利姆·赛义德的量刑听证会结束后，他的支持者们离开。[艾伦·施密特/美联社照片]

一名 37 岁的男子在 COVID-19 大流行期间参与了明尼苏达州美国食品计划的欺诈活动，并扮演了关键角色，他被判处 30 年监禁。此案引起了全国的密切关注，并给唐纳德·特朗普总统施加了政治压力。

明尼苏达州的大规模非法移民计划导致数十人被定罪，并多次遭到特朗普的抨击。特朗普嘲笑民主党州长未能阻止该计划，并以此为由，在该州最大的几个城市严厉打击移民。

列表 1/3：索马里情报部门协助美国逮捕明尼苏达州诈骗案嫌疑头目

特朗普计划在明尼苏达州镇压索马里社区（共3条，此为第2条）：我们目前掌握的信息

特朗普政府因欺诈指控冻结明尼苏达州儿童保育资金（共3条，此为第3条）

萨利姆·赛义德在明尼阿波利斯经营着一家名为“Safari”的餐厅，他被指控在向贫困儿童提供食物并索取报酬时，严重夸大了餐食数量。政府称他应对4400万美元的诈骗案负责，其中一部分是由他招募的其他人实施的。

“你不仅侵吞了纳税人的钱来中饱私囊，还败坏了我们州的声誉，”美国地区法官南希·布拉塞尔说道。

检察官在法庭文件中称，赛义德声称每天分发“6000份餐食”，而联邦调查局的监控录像显示，每天只有40人领取食物。

检察官表示：“被告及其网站并没有服务于成千上万的儿童；他散布的是一个精心策划、有利可图的谎言。”

出生于索马里的赛义德在2025年的庭审中否认了这些指控，称许多餐食都是从其他地方送来的。但在周三的量刑听证会上，他改变了说法，表示悔恨。

辩护律师巴里·佐恩要求判处 12 年监禁，他对政府声称赛义德是“建筑师”的说法提出异议。

新冠疫情改变了一项通常通过学校向儿童提供餐食的联邦计划。餐馆也可以参与其中，食品分发范围也扩大到学校以外的场所。

检察官表示：“赛义德连续21个月提交了数千份虚假报销申请。每份申请都声称是为贫困儿童提供的餐食，但申请中列出的儿童本身却是完全虚构的。”

政府表示，赛义德用偷来的钱买了一栋价值 120 万美元的住宅、商业地产和一辆价值 8.7 万美元的皮卡车，可谓是中了头彩。

2022年9月26日，明尼苏达州前州参议员斯科特·詹森（左）和前共和党副州长候选人马特·伯克在明尼苏达州圣保罗州议会大厦举行的新闻发布会上，抨击民主党州长蒂姆·沃尔兹及其政府对非营利组织“Feeding Our Future”调查的处理方式。[图片：Steve Karnowski/AP]

Said 于 2025 年与明尼苏达州非营利组织 Feeding Our Future 的领导人 Aimee Bock 一起被定罪，Aimee Bock 因策划该计划而被判处 42 年监禁，并被勒令偿还 2.42 亿美元。

州审计人员发现，明尼苏达州教育部门收到了大量关于“喂养我们的未来”（Feeding Our Future）组织的投诉，但却常常要求该组织自行监管。在特朗普就联邦资助项目盗窃问题持续抨击之后，州长蒂姆·沃尔兹于1月份宣布他将不再竞选连任。