Juror in fraud case given bag with $120K, promise for more ‘if she votes to acquit,’ FBI says
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The alleged bribe came as a bombshell revelation in an ongoing trial over a massive pandemic fraud case tied to Minnesota-based nonprofits.
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.
The seven defendants are the first of 70 to stand trial in what federal prosecutors have called one of the nation’s largest COVID-19-related fraud cases, an extensive scheme to exploit rules that were kept lax so that the economy wouldn’t crash during the pandemic.
Prosecutors say the seven collectively stole more than $40 million from a program designed to feed children in Minnesota, and that the overall conspiracy diverted $250 million in federal funds.
At its center was a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors say just a fraction of the money went to feed low-income kids, with the rest spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property. Federal authorities say they have recovered about $50 million.
Eighteen other defendants have pleaded guilty. Those awaiting trial include Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding our Future. She has maintained her innocence, saying she never stole and saw no evidence of fraud among her subcontractors.
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