Alleged money courier pleads not guilty to bribing Feeding Our Future juror

A woman accused of trying to bribe a juror in the recent Feeding Our Future trial has pleaded not guilty to several felony charges.

Ladan Mohamed Ali made his first appearance Thursday before Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko in St. Paul. Ali, 31, of Seattle, is one of five people accused of trying to bribe a woman publicly known as Juror 52 as the trial wrapped up.

The 23-year-old juror was hearing testimony against seven people linked to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, accused of stealing $47 million from taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a news conference Wednesday that Ali delivered a Hallmark gift bag containing $120,000 to the juror's home on June 2 and promised more in exchange for an acquittal. Prosecutors say Ali and his accomplices, which included three of the trial's defendants, plotted to track down Juror 52 and convince her to vote not guilty. Investigators say Ali followed the juror home after leaving court.

The juror called 911 and the FBI recovered the money. Judge Nancy Brasel replaced the juror with an alternate. Closing arguments resumed, and later in the week the jury returned guilty verdicts against five of the seven defendants.

The names of the jurors were known only to the lawyers and the defendants, and the FBI reportedly found the jury list during a search of the home of defendant Abdiaziz Farah. Luger said the group targeted Ali in their ill-fated influence operation because she was the youngest member of the jury and appeared to be the only person of color.

Prosecutors did not request that Ali be arrested, and Micko released her on conditions, including avoiding contact with her co-defendants and any witnesses. The judge also ordered Ali to surrender his passport.

The other four defendants in the corruption case, including a man acquitted of fraud charges at trial, remain in prison. Three of them are expected to plead guilty in separate hearings on Monday.