A Seattle woman is facing criminal charges for trying to bribe a federal juror with $120,000 to get the defendants acquitted in a COVID-era corruption case.
Ladan Mohammad Ali wanted the juror to “inject racism into the case” and get the “sympathy” of other jurors based on the immigrant status of the defendants who allegedly stole millions of dollars from a Minnesota federal program supposed to feed hungry children in the pandemic.
The juror, whose identity is kept hidden and is referred to as “Juror 52” in the court documents, busted Ali’s plot when she dialed 911 after receiving the cash bag. Four other individuals who conspired with Ali are also facing criminal charges.
Andrew M. Luger, the US Attorney for the District of Minnesota, said the defendants were involved in a “chilling attack” on the US justice system and tried to bribe the juror to promote evidence that had nothing to do with reality. Luger’s office stated that Ali is not present in the police custody and is likely to surrender herself at the court hearing.
Prosecutors believe that five defendants specifically approached Juror 52 because she was the youngest in the panel and was viewed as the easiest target.
Before carrying out the plot, the defendants obtained personal information about the juror and stalked her to avoid any trouble on the day of plan execution. However, when two of the defendants, including Ali, went to bribe the juror at her home, her relative opened the door and collected the bag. When juror 52 received the bag later, she called the police and busted the criminal scheme.
Ali wanted Juror 52 to vote not guilty for the defendants, who are facing charges of stealing $40 million of funds from the generous food scheme. This is just the first corruption case coming out of the nutrition program, where almost 70 people in total are facing legal scrutiny for stealing nearly $250 million of federal funds.
Thanks to our friends at Conservative Insider for sharing this story.
