Safari Restaurant Owner Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Food Fraud

A Minneapolis restaurant owner received a 30-year federal prison sentence on Wednesday for his role in a pandemic-era food assistance scam.

The sentencing follows a trial in which prosecutors alleged Salim Said overbilled the federal government by $44 million. The scheme involved claiming to provide thousands of meals to low-income children under a program expanded during the coronavirus outbreak. Court records indicate Said claimed to distribute 6,000 meals per day, while FBI video footage captured only 40 individuals collecting food at his site, Safari Restaurant.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel presided over the sentencing. She noted that the defendant used public funds for personal gain and damaged the state's reputation. The defense, represented by attorney Barry Zone, had argued for a 12-year term and contended that Said was not the primary architect of the plan. Said, a native of Somalia, denied the claims during his 2025 trial but expressed remorse during the sentencing hearing. He previously stated that many meals were delivered off-site, a defense the prosecution rejected.

The fraud was part of a larger network that included Aimee Bock, who led the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Bock is serving a 42-year sentence for designing the recruitment strategy that brought Said and others into the federal program. The government identified assets purchased with the stolen money, including a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck. Prosecutors stated that the children listed on the reimbursement forms were fictitious.

The case has drawn political attention due to the scale of the fraud in Minnesota. President Donald Trump has cited the theft as a reason for immigration enforcement actions in the state's major cities. State auditors found that the Minnesota Department of Education received complaints about Feeding Our Future but allowed the group to self-regulate. In January, Governor Tim Walz announced he would not seek reelection, a decision made after intense criticism regarding the management of federal food funds.