30-Year Term Imposed for $44 Million Minnesota Food Program Fraud

Salim Said will spend 30 years in federal prison for defrauding a Minnesota food assistance program out of $44 million. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel handed down the sentence on Wednesday, marking the latest legal outcome in a series of cases stemming from pandemic-era meal distributions.

Said operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, a Somali cuisine establishment. Prosecutors alleged he claimed to serve 6,000 meals per day, a figure they described as ridiculous. FBI cameras recorded only about 40 people collecting food daily. The government stated that the children listed on the meal submissions were entirely fictitious. Said exploited a temporary policy change that allowed restaurants to distribute food to children outside of school settings for 21 consecutive months.

The scheme began during the COVID-19 pandemic when federal food programs expanded beyond school cafeterias. Said was convicted in 2025 on multiple counts alongside Aimee Bock, the head of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Bock, who devised the plan to recruit participants, is currently serving a 42-year sentence. Dozens of other individuals have been convicted in related Minnesota fraud cases.

Financial records show Said used the proceeds to purchase a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck. At his 2025 trial, Said testified that he delivered many meals and that his restaurant was a hub for Somali immigrants in the neighborhood known as Little Mogadishu. He told the jury, 'If you're making good food, people will come to you.'

The fraud has drawn national attention from President Donald Trump, who has cited it as a reason for an immigration crackdown in major Minnesota cities. Trump has also criticized the state's Democratic leadership for failing to stop the theft. State auditors found that the Minnesota Department of Education received numerous complaints about Feeding Our Future but often allowed the group to police itself.

Governor Tim Walz announced in January that he would not seek reelection, citing sustained criticism over the handling of federal funds. Said's attorney, Samuel Savage, filed a sentencing memo prior to the hearing but it was not made available to the public. Savage did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new sentence.