Salim Ahmed Said, a former co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future child nutrition fraud scandal.
US District Judge Nancy Brasel imposed the sentence on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Said, 37, was also ordered to pay more than $44 million in restitution, according to FOX 9’s courtroom reporting. A jury convicted him of 21 offences involving wire fraud, bribery and money laundering in March 2025.
Restaurant claimed thousands of meals
The scheme exploited emergency changes to federal nutrition programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approved sites could seek reimbursement for meals supposedly supplied to children in need.
Prosecutors said Said and associates submitted claims for thousands of meals that were not served. His restaurant at one stage claimed as many as 6,000 meals a day, while FBI surveillance recorded an average of roughly 40 people visiting to collect food each day at Safari and associated sites.
The surveillance figure counts observed visitors, not all possible off-site deliveries. Said argued at trial that meals were delivered elsewhere. The jury nevertheless convicted him after considering the wider evidence, including false paperwork and the movement of funds.
How much money was involved?
Prosecutors attributed approximately $44 million in losses to Said and operations linked to him. That is not the amount he personally received. The larger Feeding Our Future fraud involved about $250 million across multiple sites and defendants.
The US Department of Justice said the conspiracy used fabricated meal counts, invented attendance rosters and false reimbursement requests. Fraud proceeds were used for property, vehicles and other private expenditure.
Prosecutors sought 40 years
Federal prosecutors requested a 40-year sentence; Said’s lawyers argued for 12 years. The defence disputed prosecutors’ characterisation of Said as a principal architect and pointed instead to the leadership of Aimee Bock, who ran the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, Said apologised in a prepared statement at sentencing after denying wrongdoing when he testified at trial. Judge Brasel said the conduct had damaged public trust.
Bock was convicted alongside Said in 2025. She was sentenced to 500 months, or 41 years and eight months, in May 2026.
Oversight failures and disputed responsibility
A June 2024 Minnesota legislative audit concluded that inadequate oversight by the state’s Department of Education created opportunities for fraud. Auditors found that serious warning signs were not consistently addressed and that Feeding Our Future was sometimes asked to investigate complaints about itself.
The Department of Education disputed that assessment, maintaining that its oversight met applicable standards and that it made effective law-enforcement referrals. The disagreement about administrative oversight is separate from the criminal convictions.
What we know
- Said received a 30-year federal prison sentence on 28 October 2026 and was ordered to pay more than $44 million in restitution.
- He was convicted of 21 offences in 2025, including fraud, bribery and money laundering.
- The $44 million loss figure relates to Said-linked operations, while $250 million describes the broader scandal.
- The FBI surveillance figures were prosecution evidence, not a complete count of all meals that might have been delivered.
- How much restitution will ultimately be recovered remains uncertain.
Sources
- US Department of Justice, March 2025 jury verdict
- FOX 9, 28 October 2026 sentencing report
- Minnesota Public Radio, 28 October 2026
- Minnesota legislative auditor, June 2024
- US Department of Justice, Aimee Bock sentencing
Video report
This is a third-party video. The figures and court findings above were checked against official sources and independently reported sentencing proceedings.
