A federal judge sentenced Salim Said, 37, to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for his role in a scheme that defrauded taxpayers of $44 million. Said was convicted in 2025 of orchestrating the fraud through his Minneapolis restaurant, Safari Restaurant, as part of the larger Feeding Our Future scandal.
Prosecutors stated that Said vastly inflated the number of meals he provided to children through COVID-19 relief programs. While claiming to serve 6,000 meals daily, FBI surveillance showed only about 40 people collecting food per day. "The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie," prosecutors argued in a court filing. Said submitted fraudulent reimbursement claims for 21 consecutive months, falsely asserting that the meals were provided to underprivileged children, many of whom were fictitious.
The illicit funds were used to finance Said's lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck.
US District Judge Nancy Brasel, who presided over the sentencing, stated, "You took more than taxpayers' dollars to enrich yourself. You took the reputation of our state down with you." Said was tried jointly with Aimee Bock, the alleged mastermind behind Feeding Our Future. Bock was sentenced in May to over 41 years in prison for her role in the scandal, which involved the theft of $250 million in federal funds from the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Brasel described Bock as the "epicenter" of the fraud, emphasizing that a sentence less than 500 months would not adequately serve justice.
Bock, who is white, was among defendants charged in connection with the scam, most of whom are Somali-American citizens. Another individual, Muna Wais Fidhin, 45, was recently found guilty of using approximately $1 million in taxpayer funds for personal expenses, after claiming to have served over 300,000 meals at her two food sites.
