Seattle Woman Admits to Bribery Attempt in Major COVID-19 Fraud Case

Ladan Mohamed Ali pleads guilty to attempting to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash during a trial involving $250 million in pandemic relief fraud.

Ali and her co-defendants tracked and surveilled the juror, targeting her as the youngest and only person of color on the panel.
The attempted bribery was part of a trial against seven defendants accused of stealing over $40 million from a federal child nutrition program.
Ali admitted to pocketing $80,000 of the bribe money and could face nearly six years in prison.
She agreed to cooperate with authorities, potentially reducing her sentence.
The case is one of the largest pandemic-era fraud schemes, involving 70 people and over $250 million in stolen funds.