Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Crime, Law and Justice
Matt Sepic
Minneapolis

Feeding Our Future jury bribe courier charged with DWI after crash

Two people leave a courthouse
Ladan Mohamed Ali, left, who attempted to bribe a Minnesota juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for an acquittal in one of the country's largest COVID-19-related fraud cases, and her attorney, Eric Newmark, stand outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Sept. 5.
Alex Kormann | Star Tribune via AP

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A woman who's awaiting sentencing for trying to bribe a juror in the first Feeding Our Future trial that followed a sprawling federal investigation into food aid fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic is facing a new charge of drunken driving.

The Minnesota State Patrol says Ladan Ali had a blood alcohol concentration of .284, or more than 3 1/2 times the legal limit, when she rear-ended another driver at low speed on Highway 55 in Mendota Heights on Feb. 14.

After both vehicles pulled over, the driver said Ali hit him a second time before fleeing. A trooper found Ali stopped in the center lane of traffic on Minnesota Highway 62 near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

According to the criminal complaint, Ali “almost fell over” and once inside the squad car “began screaming and hitting the vehicle divider and had removed her handcuffs two different times.”

At the Hennepin County Jail, the officer advised Ali to contact an attorney. The trooper said that Ali “then sat in her chair and yelled at him, at one point dialing on the phone provided and then smacking the phone against the phone base.” She also allegedly hit the machine that the trooper was setting up for a second breath test.

Ali, 32, pleaded guilty to jury bribery for delivering a Hallmark gift bag with $120,000 to the home of a juror in the first Feeding Our Future trial in June.

A federal judge scheduled a March 5 hearing to determine whether Ali's pretrial release should be revoked. She's due in Hennepin County court the following week on the drunken driving charge.

Ali is among five people charged in the jury bribery case and the second to plead guilty. When she was charged in that case she was listed as being from Seattle. In the DWI charge, she’s listed as living in the Twin Cities suburb of Fridley.