This week in Feeding Our Future: guilty pleas #31, 32, 33, 34. Trial #2, Sentencing #3

The second courtroom trial in the sprawling Feeding Our Future case got underway on Monday morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis.

This trial features Aimee Bock, Feeding Our Future’s CEO and Defendant No. 1, and Salim Said, Safari Restaurant owner and No. 3. In a little under six hours of courtroom time on Monday a jury was selected. With only two defendants, the trial is moving along much more quickly than the seven-defendant spectacle that took place last spring.

The trial then adjourned until Monday, February 10.

The presiding judge, Nancy Brasel, will still have a very busy week, taking four more guilty pleas and conducting a sentencing hearing.

The three remaining defendants from the original six-member Jama family are expected to plead guilty this week. The family ran the Brava Restaurant and Cafe in Rochester.

Last week, Sharmake Jama (No. 39) and Ayan Jama (No. 40) entered guilty pleas. Fartun Jama (No. 42) died of natural causes in 2023.

That leaves Asha (No. 41), Mustafa (No. 43) and Zamzam Jama (No. 44) to plead guilty this week. If all goes as planned, the courtroom trial, scheduled for later this year, will be cancelled.

Another trial looks to be cancelled with the guilty plea this afternoon expected from Abduljabar Hussein (No. 50). He will join his wife Mekfira (No. 48) who pled guilty last week. They were associated with the nonprofit food provider Shamsia Hopes.

Once all of this is accomplished, we will be up to a total of 39 convictions in the case.

Defendant No. 60 and Guilty Plea No. 17, Sharon Ross, will become just the third defendant to be sentenced in the case. Ross was the head of the St. Paul nonprofit House of Refuge Outreach.

The courtroom trial of Bock and Said is expected to last through the end of the month.