A federal judge ordered a 30-year prison sentence Wednesday for Salim Said, a central participant in a sprawling fraud operation that targeted a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel imposed the term in Minneapolis. Said, who operated Safari Restaurant specializing in Somali dishes, was convicted in 2025 of multiple charges. Prosecutors said he was responsible for $44 million in fraud, some committed by people he recruited.
He claimed a “ridiculous daily distribution of 6,000 meals” while FBI cameras showed about 40 people a day collecting food, prosecutors said in a court filing.
“The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie,” they wrote. …