By Sohaib Shams
A Minnesota man who played a major role in defrauding a federal food program during the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison. Salim Said, operator of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, was convicted of submitting thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims for meals that were never served to needy children.
Scheme details
Prosecutors said Said claimed a daily distribution of 6,000 meals while FBI surveillance showed only about 40 people collecting food. The government held him responsible for $44 million in fraud, some committed by others he recruited. Over 21 consecutive months, Said filed reimbursement claims for fictitious children, using the proceeds to buy a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck.
Sentencing and co-conspirators
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel imposed the decades-long sentence after Said was convicted in 2025 on multiple charges. Aimee Bock, leader of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future that recruited Said and others, is already serving a 42-year prison sentence for devising the overall scheme. State auditors found the Minnesota Department of Education received numerous complaints about the nonprofit but often told the group to police itself.
Political fallout
The sprawling fraud case has drawn repeated attention from President Donald Trump, who ridiculed Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for failing to stop it and cited it as grounds for an immigration crackdown in the state's largest cities. In January, Walz announced he would not seek reelection after sustained criticism from Trump over theft in federally funded programs.
