WELL, OUR TOP STORY HERE AT FIVE. AFTER A WEEK OF DELIBERATION, THE JURY HAS RULED ON DOZENS OF VERDICTS. NOW, IN THE FEEDING OUR FUTURE FRAUD TRIAL, THE JURY FINDING FIVE OF SEVEN DEFENDANTS GUILTY OF AT LEAST SOME CHARGES IN THE LARGEST KNOWN FRAUD OF FEDERAL PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDS. FOX NINES. ROB OLSON IS LIVE AT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE TO WALK US THROUGH THE VERDICTS AND REACTION. ROB YEAH, 43 GUILTY VERDICTS OUT OF A TOTAL OF 64 CHARGES HERE. TWO PEOPLE COMPLETELY FOUND NOT GUILTY, BUT THE OTHER FIVE WILL REMAIN NOW IN CUSTODY AWAITING SENTENCING, WHICH IS YET TO BE SCHEDULED. AFTERWARDS THE PROSECUTORS HERE, THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, MADE SOME COMMENTS BUT WERE RATHER RESERVED, NOTING THAT THESE ARE SEVEN PEOPLE THAT WERE TRIED AND THERE'S STILL DOZENS MORE YET TO COME AFTER THIS CONDUCT WAS NOT JUST CRIMINAL, IT WAS DEPRAVED AND BRAZEN. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS CONSIDER THE CONVICTIONS OF FIVE OF SEVEN DEFENDANTS A VICTORY. EVEN IF THE JURY DID FIND SOME OF THE ALLEGATIONS WERE NOT PROVEN. BUT GUILTY VERDICTS CAME ON CONSPIRACY, WIRE FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING, ALL RELATED TO CREATING PHONY FEDERAL MEAL SITES, INVENTING ROSTERS OF CHILDREN POCKETING MORE THAN $40 MILLION IN FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENTS, FALSIFIED DOCUMENTS. THEY LIED, AND THEY FRAUDULENTLY CLAIMED TO BE FEEDING MILLIONS OF MEALS TO CHILDREN IN MINNESOTA DURING COVID ABDI AZIZ FARAH CONSIDERED THE RINGLEADER OF THIS PARTICULAR GROUP, WAS FOUND GUILTY ON 23 OF THE 24 COUNTS HE FACED. MOHAMED ISMAIL GUILTY ON THREE OF FOUR. ABDULMAJEED NOOR GUILTY ON TEN OF 13. MUKHTAR SHARIF GUILTY ON FOUR OF SIX, AND HAYAT NOOR GUILTY OF THREE OF FIVE COUNTS. FOUND NOT GUILTY WERE SAEED FARAH AND ABDUL WAHAB. 15 OF A COMBINED 12 COUNTS BETWEEN THEM IS FOR THE ATTEMPTED $120,000 CASH BRIBE OF A SUBSEQUENTLY DISMISSED JUROR. A MOTION BY ATTORNEYS FOR MUKHTAR SHARIF TO RELEASE HIM FROM CUSTODY, A MOOT POINT NOW THAT HE'S CONVICTED, DID NOTE THAT ATTORNEYS AND DEFENDANTS WERE TOLD TO RETURN JUROR LISTS AT THE END OF JURY SELECTION, SHARIF GAVE HIS BACK, BUT TWO OF THOSE NUMBERED LISTS WERE NOT. I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON THE ATTEMPT TO BRIBE JUROR NUMBER 52. OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT WE WILL INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THAT ATTACK ON OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WITH ALL OF OUR RESOURCES. A NUMBER OF SEARCH WARRANTS HAVE BEEN FILED IN RECENT DAYS. THEY ARE SEALED, THOUGH, SO WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE SEARCHING, BUT THAT THEY ARE RELATED TO THIS ATTEMPTED BRIBERY INVESTIGATION. AGAIN, MORE TRIALS TO COME IN THE FUTURE REMAINS TO BE SEEN. WHAT THESE GUILTY VERDICTS WILL DO FOR SOME OF THOSE DEFENDANTS AWAITING TRIAL, IF THEY WILL CHANGE THEIR MIND AND WORK OUT A PLEA DEAL, OR IF THEY WILL CONTINUE ON TO TRIAL. MEANTIME NEXT WEEK, THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR WILL RELEASE A REPORT LOOKING INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S OVERSIGHT OF FEEDING OUR FUTURE AND WHETHER THEY COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO STOP THIS. OR WAS IT THE USDA THAT ACTUALLY MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS. ROB OLSEN, FOX NINE. ALL RIGHT. ROB. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WELL, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG AND COMPLEX CASE AND INVESTIGATION. THERE ARE A LOT OF DETAILS HERE. AND AS ROB SAID, MORE TRI
