Feeding Our Future: sentence #4

Sahra Nur, Feeding Our Future Defendant No. 24, Guilty Plea No. 14, became just the fourth of 45 convicted felons to be sentenced in the case. She was sentenced to over four years in prison (51 months). The judge, Nancy Brasel, did not impose a fine, but did order restitution to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) for more than $5 million, due immediately.

She must report to federal prison on July 22. The U.S. Attorney issued a press release here.

The sentencing took place late this (Tuesday) afternoon at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. Your correspondent was there.

Nur, now aged 63, was part of the S&S Catering group of defendants. You may recall the now-infamous video where Defendant No. 1, Aimee Bock, is being serenaded in honor of her victory over the state Dept. of Education, which acts as agent for USDA in operating the free-food program. The video was shot at an events center in a building owned by Nur, purchased with ill-gotten proceeds from the free-food fraud. The building has since been sold, and the proceeds returned to the U.S. Treasury.

In all, the S&S Catering group is estimated to have stolen $16 million, and Nur played a central role in the effort.

In back-and-forth in front of Judge Brasel, prosecutors argued for 60 months (5 years) and Nur’s defense lawyer asked for probation. The judge cited a number of factors in choosing 51 months as the number.

The next courtroom trial in the case is scheduled for August.