Feeding Our Future defendant gets 17 years in prison

Mukhtar Shariff, Defendant No. 21 in the sprawling free food scandal and just the second defendant to be sentenced in the Feeding Our Future case received a prison term of 210 months. That works out to be exactly 17 1/2 years.

As I noted earlier this month, prosecutors had requested a sentence of over 21 years, with defense lawyers recommending just 7. It appears that the judge mostly sided with the prosecutors this time.

Shariff, aged 34, was convicted on four felony counts, along with four co-conspirators at the first Feeding Our Future trial, which concluded in June. Two others were acquitted. Shariff has not been charged in the related juror bribery case.

The first sentence handed down in the case was for 12 years and was imposed on Mohamed Ismail, then aged 51. Defendant No. 16 Ismail has, likewise, not been charged in the juror bribery case.

The sentencing occurred in the morning. This afternoon, Guilty Plea No. 24 was entered in the case. Ayan Abukar, aged 43 and billed out of Savage, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Sentencing will occur at a later date.