Feds seek 40-year sentence for Feeding Our Future ringleader
Federal prosecutors asked a U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to sentence Feeding Our Future ringleader Salim Said to 40 years in prison.[1]
Said was convicted in March 2025 on 21 counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, federal programs bribery and money laundering.[1] Prosecutors say more than $44 million in fraudulent proceeds was routed through Safari Restaurant and Salim Limited.[1] They say the money paid for a $1.2 million Plymouth home, Minneapolis commercial real estate, luxury vehicles and designer goods.[1]
Said claimed his operation fed as many as 6,000 children a day at Safari Restaurant, but FBI surveillance recorded an average of about 40 people present.[1] Prosecutors say Said used the nonprofit Stigma-Free International to set up sham food distribution hubs in Willmar, Mankato and St. Cloud, with Safari as the primary vendor.[1]
The case is part of the larger $250 million Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud investigation.[1] Said is the 32nd defendant in the probe to move toward sentencing.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Federal prosecutors are requesting a 40-year prison sentence for Salim Said in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
- Said was convicted in March 2025 on 21 counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, federal programs bribery, and money laundering.
- Investigators say he claimed to feed up to 6,000 children a day at Safari Restaurant, while FBI surveillance showed an average of about 40 people present.
- The government alleges more than $44 million in fraudulent proceeds were routed through Safari Restaurant and Salim Limited and spent on a $1.2 million Plymouth home, Minneapolis commercial real estate, luxury vehicles, and designer goods.
- Prosecutors say Said used nonprofit Stigma-Free International to create sham food distribution hubs in Willmar, Mankato and St. Cloud, with Safari as the primary vendor.
- The case is part of the larger $250 million Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud investigation, and Said is the 32nd defendant to move toward sentencing.
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