Minnesota Restaurant Owner Gets 30 Years for $44 Million Food Fraud

Salim Said was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a massive fraud scheme that drained the U.S. Department of Agriculture's emergency food program in Minnesota.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, marks the latest legal outcome for a complex case that has drawn national attention. Said owned Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, a spot known for Somali cuisine. Prosecutors alleged he inflated his meal counts by claiming he distributed 6,000 portions a day, a figure they called ridiculous. FBI surveillance footage showed only about 40 people collecting food daily at his locations. The government attributed $44 million in total losses to Said, noting that some fraud was committed by associates he recruited.

The scheme capitalized on pandemic-era rule changes that allowed restaurants to serve school meals outside of campus settings. Prosecutors said Said exploited this flexibility for 21 consecutive months. Court filings indicated that the children listed on his reimbursement forms did not exist. The government stated that Said used the illicit funds to buy a home worth $1.2 million, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck. His co-defendant, Aimee Bock, who led the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, is serving a 42-year sentence for designing the overall recruitment strategy.

Said, a native of Somalia, testified at his 2025 trial that he was not guilty. He described his restaurant as a gathering place for immigrants in an area known as Little Mogadishu and argued that many meals were delivered to customers. He told the jury, “If you're making good food, people will come to you.” His attorney, Samuel Savage, filed a sentencing memo before the hearing, though the document was not immediately available to the public. Savage did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the sentence.

The Minnesota fraud cases have become a focal point in political debates. President Donald Trump has publicly mocked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over the thefts, citing the scandal as a reason for an aggressive immigration enforcement in the state's major cities. State auditors reported that the Department of Education received multiple complaints about Feeding Our Future but often instructed the group to self-police. In January, Governor Walz announced he would not seek reelection, a decision he made amid sustained criticism from the White House regarding federal program integrity.

Dozens of individuals have been convicted in connection with these cases. The legal proceedings concluded for Said on Wednesday, leaving his defense team to process the lengthy prison term. The case remains one of the largest financial frauds investigated in the state during the pandemic era.