Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Salim Said Gets 30 Years for Nutrition Fraud

The headline number: 30 years. Salim Said, co-owner of Minneapolis Safari Restaurant, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Oct. 28, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel. He was convicted in 2025 with Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Future fraud. Prosecutors said he was responsible for $44 million in fraud and claimed 6,000 meals a day while FBI surveillance showed about 40 people a day collecting food. The government said he bought a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and an $87,000 pickup truck. Said denied the allegations at trial and said meals were delivered. Prosecutors said he "served a calculated, lucrative lie." CONTESTED: NewsNation reported a $250 million scheme and 91 million meals falsely claimed by Bock and Said. CBS and Audacy reported Bock's sentence as 42 years; NewsNation reported 41 years. Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said the money did not go to feed kids and instead funded lavish lifestyles. Ramsey Covington said Bock, Said, and others took advantage of the pandemic to rob food programs of hundreds of millions. Officials said Feeding Our Future funding grew from about $3.4 million in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. Dozens have been convicted. Gov. Tim Walz said in January he would not run for reelection amid criticism over the fraud.