MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — Salim Said, a major participant in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for helping steal roughly $44 million from a program intended to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Said co-owned Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, which prosecutors said falsely claimed to serve as many as 6,000 meals per day. FBI surveillance showed only about 40 people collecting food daily. A jury convicted Said in 2025 on 21 counts, including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel also ordered Said to pay more than $44 million in restitution. Prosecutors said he used fraud proceeds to purchase a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, luxury vehicles and other property. Said apologized at sentencing after previously denying wrongdoing at trial.
Republican lawmakers have sought to connect the scandal politically to Rep. Ilhan Omar because she held her 2018 primary victory celebration at Safari Restaurant and later sponsored pandemic-era legislation expanding access to federal meal programs. However, there is no evidence that Omar participated in, knew about or benefited from Said’s fraud, and she has not been charged in connection with Feeding Our Future.
The broader scheme involved more than $250 million in fraudulent claims and has produced dozens of convictions. Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock received nearly 42 years in prison earlier this year.
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