Jury ends second day of deliberations without reaching verdict in fraud trial roiled by bag of cash

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A jury ended a second day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the trial of seven Minnesotans accused in a scheme to steal more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic, while FBI agents try to establish who left a bag with $120,000 in cash for a juror.

Federal authorities confiscated the defendants’ cellphones to search for clues and took all seven into custody on Monday before deliberations began. The trial judge also sequestered the jury after dismissing the juror who turned over the gift bag, along with another juror who reported hearing about the bribe attempt.

FBI agents searched the home of one of the defendants Wednesday, according to a neighbor who witnessed the search and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of safety concerns. News of the FBI raid was first reported by KARE-TV. The home searched is identified in court records as the home of Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, who prosecutors have described as a ringleader of the seven.

The neighbor described seeing several FBI agents armed with assault weapons standing outside the home. The agents used a megaphone to instruct the home’s residents, who came outside and stood in the driveway, the neighbor said.

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