A Minneapolis restaurant operator convicted of orchestrating millions of dollars in fraudulent claims through a federal pandemic food program was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison. Salim Said, who operated Safari Restaurant, stood as one of the central figures in a sprawling conspiracy that exploited federal relief funds intended to feed needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel condemned the scale of the deception during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in Minneapolis. You took more than taxpayers’ dollars to enrich yourself, Judge Brasel told the defendant, adding that he brought the reputation of the state down with him.
Prosecutors established that Said was responsible for $44 million in fraud, including funds secured through participants he recruited into the scheme. Federal investigators presented evidence that Said claimed a daily distribution of 6,000 meals while surveillance cameras operated by the FBI recorded only about 40 people a day collecting food at his establishment. The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children, prosecutors stated in court filings, describing the operation as a calculated, lucrative lie.
During his trial in 2025, Said denied the allegations while testifying, claiming that a large volume of meals had been delivered off site. However, during Wednesday’s sentencing proceedings, Said reversed his position and expressed remorse. Defense attorney Barry Zone had previously requested a 12-year prison sentence and disputed the government’s characterization of Said as the primary architect of the operation.
The fraudulent activity capitalized on regulatory changes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered federal programs traditionally administered through schools to allow restaurants and off-site locations to distribute meals. Prosecutors detailed a relentless pattern of abuse, noting that for 21 consecutive months Said submitted thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims, day after day and month after month, representing meals purportedly provided to underprivileged children who were entirely fictitious.
The illicit proceeds funded luxury acquisitions, including an $87,000 pickup truck, commercial real estate, and a $1.2 million home. Said was convicted of numerous charges in 2025 alongside Aimee Bock, the leader of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, who devised the overarching scheme and is currently serving a 42-year prison sentence following an order to repay $242 million.
The widespread financial theft has carried significant political and administrative fallout in Minnesota. State auditors previously determined that the Minnesota Department of Education received numerous complaints regarding Feeding Our Future but routinely instructed the organization to police itself. The scandal drew intense criticism from President Donald Trump, who rebuked the state’s Democratic governor over the oversight failures and cited the theft as a contributing rationale for an immigration crackdown in major Minnesota cities. In January, Governor Tim Walz announced he would not seek reelection following sustained political pressure over the misappropriation of federal funds.
