Minneapolis Restaurant Owner Sentenced to 30 Years for Food Fraud

A federal judge in Minneapolis sentenced Salim Said to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for his role in a massive fraud of the federal food program. Said operated Safari Restaurant, which served Somali cuisine, and prosecutors said he claimed to feed needy children while serving a small number of actual people. The government attributed $44 million in losses to him. Some of that money was taken by others he recruited.

Court filings show the discrepancy between what Said reported and what happened in the kitchen. He claimed a daily distribution of 6,000 meals. FBI cameras recorded only about 40 people collecting food each day. Prosecutors stated that the sites did not serve thousands of children. They described the operation as a calculated and lucrative lie.

The scheme worked because pandemic rules changed how the program functioned. The program usually fed children through schools. During the health crisis, restaurants could participate and distribute food outside of school buildings. Prosecutors said Said exploited these changes for 21 consecutive months. Each submission listed meals for underprivileged children who did not exist.

Said used the proceeds to buy assets. He purchased a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck. He is a native of Somalia. At his trial in 2025, he denied the allegations. He told the jury that his restaurant was a popular spot for Somali immigrants in Little Mogadishu. He said many meals were delivered. He argued that if you make good food, people will come to you.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel imposed the sentence. Said’s attorney, Samuel Savage, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A sentencing memo filed by Savage before the hearing was not available to the public. Said was convicted on multiple charges alongside Aimee Bock. Bock led the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future. She devised the plan to recruit Said and others into the program. She is serving a 42-year prison sentence.

Dozens of people have been convicted in the related Minnesota fraud cases. President Donald Trump has drawn attention to the cases. He criticized the state’s Democratic governor for failing to stop the fraud. He cited the theft as a reason for an immigration crackdown in the state’s largest cities. State auditors found that the Minnesota Department of Education received many complaints about Feeding Our Future. The department often told the group to police itself. In January, Governor Tim Walz announced he would not run for reelection. He faced sustained criticism over theft in programs that rely on federal money.