A federal judge ordered the jailing of a man accused of attempting to pressure a witness to not testify against him at his impending trial in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud case.
At the urging of prosecutors, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel on Monday placed Abdiwahab Mohamud back into federal custody after he allegedly tried to strong-arm a witness during encounters at Karmel Mall and the Mall of America by making her promise she would not take the stand. Mohamud, according to the government, called her a “snitch” and told her that he has a family.
The allegations came to light last week when the witness told the U.S. Attorney’s Office that she did not want to testify at Mohamud’s trial, where prosecutors said she could provide critical evidence.
“I cannot ensure a fair trial if witnesses are fearful to testify before a jury,” Brasel said.
Mohamud’s attorney, Jason Steck, denied the government’s allegations, referring to them as vague during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. Steck said other reasons may have played a role into why the witness no longer wanted to testify, citing the witness’ account of experiencing blowback from community members after she testified in previous Feeding Our Future trials.
He also accused the federal government of having a kneejerk reaction because of previous disruptions to the Feeding Our Future trials, when two separate cases of witness tampering and an attempted juror bribe rocked the proceedings.
“The government has taken the previous instances and reacted to that context more than any degree of proof,” Steck said. “I submit Mr. Mohamud should not have to pay the price for what other people did.”
Referring to the previous cases, Brasel said she had “no tolerance” for those disruptions then, and remains “committed to that.”
