Judge jails Feeding Our Future defendant who allegedly tried to tamper with witness

A federal judge, citing the need to prevent future acts of “Mafia”-styled acts of witness tampering or intimidation, ordered Friday that the man accused of interfering with the ongoing Feeding Our Future trial remain in jail until his August trial.

Abdinasir Abshir was arrested and held in federal custody in Sherburne County jail after allegedly asking to talk to a witness in the courthouse bathroom before the witness testified in the trial this month.

Abshir’s attorney, Craig Cascarano, sought leniency, noting Abshir had not been accused of any violations during the last two and a half years that he has been under court supervision.

But Magistrate Judge Tony Leung said the potential threat posed by Abshir outweighed the risks of allowing him to remain free while wearing an electronic bracelet monitor or being held in a halfway house.

“I’ve been a judge for 31 years. ... I have never seen anything close to this in Minnesota,” Leung said.

In his findings, Leung also noted that the first Feeding Our Future trial last year was disrupted by the attempted bribery of a juror.

“I don’t think this is a close call,” Leung said.

Abshir is facing criminal charges for his alleged role in the $250 million scheme to defraud a federally funded meals program. He operated a Mankato food distribution site that claimed to serve 1.6 million meals and received about $5 million in federal reimbursements.

Prosecutors sought to detain Abshir after the alleged witness tampering incident during the trial of Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and one of her alleged accomplices, Salim Said.

During a break, Abshir approached a witness and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said Abshir was trying to either influence the witness’ testimony or prevent him from testifying altogether.

Thompson called it a “brazen” attempt to corrupt the court proceedings, noting that investigators discovered several assault rifles in the offices used by Abshir and several of his co-defendants.

“There is a very real threat in this case,” Thompson said. “We have had witnesses who have been terrified of testifying at trial.”

Abshir’s conduct prompted U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, who is overseeing the monthlong trial, to bar other defendants in the case from being on the floor of the Minneapolis courthouse during the trial, and she warned other cooperating witnesses to immediately report any future contacts with fellow defendants.

“We’ve got agents outside the courtroom patrolling the hallway to make sure defendants like Abshir aren’t intimidating our witnesses,” Thompson said.

Prosecutors expect to conclude their portion of the monthlong case next week. The trial is the second one in a sprawling case that has charged 70 people since 2022.

On Thursday, a 36th defendant pleaded guilty. Abdikadir Mohamud, 33, of Minneapolis, who was slated to go to trial this year, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his role at a Willmar food site. He could be sentenced to about four or five years in prison and agreed to pay back $3 million in restitution.