In a shocking turn of events, five individuals have been charged with attempting to bribe a juror with a substantial sum of cash in the trial linked to the "largest pandemic fraud" case in the US. The unnamed 23-year-old juror, who had been part of the federal criminal trial centering on the theft of more than $40 million from the charity Feeding Our Future's federal food-aid program, reported receiving a gift bag filled with cash in the closing days of the trial in Minneapolis.

Assistant US Attorney Joseph Thompson emphasized the gravity of the situation, likening it to scenes from mob movies, when the money was first reported to the court. The prosecutors have charged a total of 70 individuals in the case, accusing them of stealing $250 million from federal food programs that were meant to provide assistance to hungry children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the five charged are three individuals who were on trial for providing fake names of non-existent children to fraudulently claim funds and creating a fabricated paper trail to siphon off millions of dollars. The accused individuals, namely Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Said Shafii Farah, Abdulkarim Shafii Farah, and Ladan Mohamed Ali, now face charges of conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribery of a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror.

During a news conference, US Attorney Andrew Luger condemned the alleged bribery attempt, describing it as a "chilling attack on our justice system". Luger expressed his gratitude that the young juror "could not be bought" and stood firmly against any attempts to manipulate the verdict. Prosecutors have revealed that the group targeted the juror due to her age and believed her to be the only juror of color on the panel.

According to the charging documents seen by the BBC, Ladan Mohamed Ali, one of the accused individuals who was not initially charged, flew to Minneapolis from Seattle on May 30th and started tracking the juror's movements. On the night of June 2nd, Ali and another defendant allegedly visited the juror's home and delivered a significant amount of cash to one of her relatives. The prosecution claims that they promised to deliver more money if the juror successfully convinced other jurors to vote against conviction.

The charging documents also revealed that the defendants provided the juror with a list of arguments to convince fellow jurors to mark "NOT GUILTY" for all defendants and all counts. Many of these arguments were apparently centered around allegations of racism against the prosecutors. Bribing a juror is considered a felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

This case is considered the first criminal case in the state of Minnesota involving an attempted bribery of a federal juror, as reported by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. As the trial proceeds, the accused individuals will face legal consequences for their alleged actions, and justice will determine their fate in this significant case of pandemic fraud and attempted jury manipulation.