In a striking instance of alleged jury tampering, a juror in Minnesota’s high-profile Feeding Our Future case reported that she was approached with an offer that seemed more fitting for a children’s cartoon than a federal courtroom. According to the Minnesota Reformer, the juror disclosed that a woman driving a Mazda appeared at her home, left a bag of cash with her father-in-law, and promised more if she voted to acquit the seven defendants.
The Feeding Our Future case involves accusations of a $250 million fraud scheme targeting federal child nutrition funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. As explained by the Department of Justice, the funds intended to feed children were allegedly diverted into luxury items for the organization’s staff. The first trial concluded with convictions for five out of the seven defendants before the jury tampering incident was brought to light.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson revealed the tampering attempt in open court, detailing how the juror notified the FBI upon returning home. While the attempted bribe was undeniably improper, some observers have noted the irony that those behind the scheme didn’t resort to accounting trickery to conceal the cash offer.
The recent developments underscore the lengths to which some will go to influence judicial outcomes, further tainting the already scandal-ridden Feeding Our Future case. For more details, please refer to the original report on Above the Law.