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Trial II · 22cr223

Vol XIV

2025-03-04
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Day Overview

March 4, 2025 was a heavy financial-evidence day. The government continued and completed the direct examination of IRS forensic accountant Lacramioara Blackwell, who spent the morning systematically linking every named site operator in the case to kickback payments funneled to Eidleh's four entities (Eidleh Inc., Hope Suppliers, Bridge Logistics, Bridge Consulting and Logistics), totaling over $2.5 million in combined payments. The afternoon cross-examinations by both defense attorneys were largely ineffective at undermining her core findings, though Udoibok (for Bock) scored minor points showing Bock was not a direct signatory to the accounts where the kickbacks went and that cash withdrawals were untraceable. Colich (for Said) elicited that the checks were printed (not handwritten by Said), potentially supporting an argument that Total Financial Solutions — not Said himself — actually prepared the checks. At 3:35 p.m., the government introduced its second forensic accountant, Pauline Roase (FBI, CPA), who traced the entire investigation's genesis, revealed that $246 million flowed to Feeding Our Future sites, and began testimony showing Safari Restaurant spent only 4.1% of its food-program income on actual food. The trial is clearly approaching its end — the government indicated it expected to rest the following day.

Government Strategy

The government used this day to complete its 'follow the money' narrative through forensic accountant Lacramioara Blackwell, systematically walking the jury through kickback payments from every major site operator to Abdikerm Eidleh (a Feeding Our Future employee), establishing his corrupt supervisory role. The government then pivoted to Aimee Bock's personal enrichment schemes: the sham sale of The Learning Journey 'daycare center' to Safari Restaurant for $310,000, the School Age Consultants policy-manual scheme netting ~$103,000 from program participants, and the Feeding Our Future II GoFundMe campaign that solicited money from the very sites she sponsored. For defendant Salim Said, the government introduced every bribery count (Z16-Z38) tying specific Cosmopolitan Business Solutions and Salim Limited checks to Eidleh's entities in the days immediately following large Feeding Our Future reimbursements, and placed Salim Said's signature on meal count sheets claiming 5,000-6,000 meals per day. A second forensic accountant (Pauline Roase) was called at day's end to establish scope — $246 million total paid to Feeding Our Future, and a damning 4.1% food-purchase rate for Safari Restaurant despite claiming to serve thousands of meals daily.

Strategic Notes for Defense Counsel

- The 4.1% food-purchase rate for Safari Restaurant (Gov. Ex. X3) is the most devastating single piece of evidence in this volume and possibly the trial. Defense counsel must retain a food-service industry expert to testify about legitimate food cost structures in SFSP/CACFP summer meal programs — if bulk/wholesale purchasing, donated food, or different accounting categories can explain a lower food-cost percentage, this must be addressed before trial. - The Total Financial Solutions angle is underdeveloped. Colich raised it but did not pursue it. If Total Financial Solutions (run by Salah's brother/family) printed and processed checks for multiple entities including Cosmopolitan Business Solutions, and if Said simply signed stacks of pre-printed checks as part of normal business operations, this may provide a specific intent defense on the individual bribery counts. Defense counsel should subpoena Total Financial Solutions records immediately. - Blackwell's 'kickback' conclusions are expert opinions based on inference, not direct evidence. She never interviewed Eidleh, never confirmed what services (if any) he provided, and never compared the payments to market rates for site oversight services. A defense expert in food program compliance could testify about what site oversight services legitimately cost. - The Learning Journey sale defense hinges on the value of goodwill and child care expertise. Defense counsel should investigate whether Bock had professional certifications, training programs she developed, or industry connections that could support a $235,000 goodwill valuation. If the sale was reviewed by an attorney (as Blackwell suggested), finding that attorney and their advice would be critical. - The government is close to resting — anticipate a defense case starting the afternoon of March 5. Any defense witnesses defense counsel plans to use in his own trial should be evaluated in light of how this defense team performs; if either defendant calls witnesses that backfire, that informs defense counsel's strategy in his own case.

Witnesses
Lacramioara Blackwell
IRS forensic accountant who led financial tracing of payments from Feeding Our Future sites to defendants' entities and analyzed all bank records in the case.
IRS/Forensic Government
Direct Examination

Blackwell completed her 'follow the money' testimony by tracing kickback payments from numerous program sites (Brava Restaurant, Shamsia Hopes, Evergreen Grocery, Lido Restaurant, SAFE, and the entire Safari group) to Eidleh's entities totaling millions. She then pivoted to Bock's personal enrichment schemes: the Learning Journey daycare center sham sale for $310,000 to Safari Restaurant (with no real assets or goodwill), the GoFundMe campaign funded by program participants, and the School Age Consultants 'policy manual' scheme netting ~$103,000 in checks from sites Bock sponsored — money spent on furniture and a Graceland trip, not policy creation.

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Brava Restaurant (Rochester) received over $5.6 million from Feeding Our Future and then paid $14,000 to Bridge Consulting and Logistics — Eidleh's entity — on December 29, 2020, the same period Eidleh was supposed to be providing legitimate oversight. — Establishes the kickback pattern core to the bribery counts; links Salim Said's cooperating witness Sharmake Jama to the corrupt scheme. [p. 3093-3095]
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SAFE (Somali American Faribault Education) wrote five sequential checks (2085-2089) to Bridge Logistics with a consistent slash date format different from all other SAFE checks, leading Blackwell to conclude the checks were written by someone other than Hussein — likely Eidleh — and issued simultaneously despite spanning months. — Strong forensic evidence that the kickback checks were pre-arranged and falsely backdated, supporting the government's fraud theory. [p. 3110-3112]
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Cosmopolitan Business Solutions (Safari Restaurant) signed by Salim Said made checks to Eidleh Inc. and Salim Limited to Eidleh entities on the day after or within days of every large Feeding Our Future reimbursement, beginning July 28, 2020 ($1,500) through May 27, 2021 ($14,000), covering Counts 16-38. — Creates an airtight temporal pattern directly linking Salim Said's acts to specific bribery counts in the indictment. [p. 3122-3135]
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The Learning Journey was never licensed as a daycare center (license application considered withdrawn January 26, 2021), had no customers, no real assets, no goodwill, yet Bock sold it to Safari Restaurant on August 13, 2021 for $310,000 — traced entirely to federal food program money — and deposited the check into her personal account on the same day at U.S. Bank (captured on bank surveillance video). — This is the central money-laundering transaction for Bock. The government traced the source of the $310,000 through multiple closed/opened Safari bank accounts back to Feeding Our Future payments. Extremely damaging. [p. 3155-3174]
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On December 20, 2021, Bock texted boyfriend Malcolm Watson: 'The amount of money I'm going to make tomorrow you should be fucking happy.' The next day, December 21, checks began flowing into the School Age Consultants account (opened December 13, 2021) from program participants for $2,800 each — labeled 'Policy Procedure' — totaling ~$103,000, including Bock's own text referencing '$78,000 deposited for the book I sold' in two weeks. — Devastating combination of Bock's own words predicting the scheme and financial records confirming it. The 'book' is the policy manual — a transparent pretext for soliciting payments from sites she controlled. [p. 3192-3205]
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GoFundMe donations to Feeding Our Future II were made by program participants: Salim Said ($6,000), Abdulkadir Salah ($3,000 twice), Ahmed Hashim/Olive Management ($3,000), Abdikadir Mohamud/Tunyar Trading, Sharmake Jama ($5,000), Mekfira Hussein/Shamsia Hopes, and others — all entities receiving millions from Feeding Our Future sponsorship. — Establishes that Bock was soliciting kickbacks in multiple forms from the sites she was supposed to be impartially sponsoring and overseeing. [p. 3185-3189]
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School Age Consultants received ~$103,000 from food program participants; the first use of the account was furniture at Schneiderman's (Jan 11, 2022), the second a $2,487 charge at The Peabody luxury hotel in Memphis — confirmed by Graceland admission tickets seized from Bock's home and photos of Bock and Watson at Graceland. — Directly refutes any legitimate 'policy consulting' purpose for School Age Consultants and shows the money was spent on personal luxury. [p. 3203-3204]
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Bet on Better Future (incorporated June 2021, co-founded by Abdulkadir Salah — one of Safari's three owners) took over the Southcross site after the Learning Journey 'sale,' received over $1.4 million from Feeding Our Future, and sent $790,000 of that back to Cosmopolitan Business Solutions (Safari) — making the $310,000 'sale price' to Bock look like a distribution of program funds. — Closes the loop on the Southcross scheme: Bock sold a nonexistent daycare, Safari took over, funneled most of the program money back to itself, and the funds came full circle. [p. 3169-3174]
Cross-Examination

Udoibok (for Bock) attempted to distance Bock from the financial schemes by showing she was not a signatory on the Eidleh entity accounts, not an owner of Bridge Logistics or Bet on Better Future, and that cash withdrawals by Hussein were untraceable. He also challenged whether the GoFundMe was geographically restricted (it was not) and whether failed donations could have been caused by Bock (they could not). Colich (for Said) elicited that the bribery-count checks were printed rather than handwritten, suggesting Total Financial Solutions (a bookkeeping firm tied to Salah's brother) may have prepared them, and that Said may not have personally determined check amounts. Neither cross was particularly effective.

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Blackwell admitted she does not know how long it took Bock to create the policy manual that was sold through School Age Consultants. — Opens a window to argue the payments were legitimate compensation for work product — though undermined by the timing and the text messages. [p. 3901]
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Blackwell acknowledged that Bock 'worked in child care related fields' generally and therefore had some reputation, which she conceded could theoretically factor into goodwill calculations for the Learning Journey sale. — Faint opening for Bock's defense that the Learning Journey sale was not entirely a sham — but Blackwell immediately noted that goodwill requires customers and a functioning business, neither of which existed. [p. 3230-3231]
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Blackwell confirmed cash withdrawals from Lido Restaurant by Mohamed Hussein are untraceable and she has no specific evidence the cash went to Bock. — Limits the government's ability to tie cash kickbacks directly to Bock in the Lido/SAFE context, though Bock is not charged with those specific transactions. [p. 3246]
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Colich established that all the bribery-count checks were printed, not handwritten, and that Total Financial Solutions — a bookkeeping firm connected to Abdulkadir Salah's brother — may have written/printed checks for multiple entities. — Potential defense: Said signed but did not create or determine the amounts of the bribery checks — someone else at Total Financial Solutions handled that. Weakens the inference of Said's specific intent on each individual check. [p. 3257-3264]
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Blackwell confirmed the blank Southcross meal count form found at Said's residence (GG4) was never submitted and Bock was not the supervisor listed on October-December Southcross meal counts. — Suggests Said's possession of blank forms is ambiguous and that Bock's personal involvement in Southcross operations diminished after the Learning Journey sale. [p. 3219-3220]
Vulnerabilities Blackwell characterizes herself as a member of 'a team of three forensic accountants,' which defense could use to blur whose specific analysis is whose. Her conclusions about kickbacks are inferential — she never spoke to Eidleh or confirmed what services, if any, he actually provided to these sites. Her statement that Bridge Logistics spent no money on 'supplies' is based on bank record review only; she did not investigate whether in-kind transfers or cash purchases occurred. On the Learning Journey, she never physically inspected the property and relies entirely on financial records and DHS letters; defense could argue she has no firsthand knowledge of what actually transpired at Southcross between August and January 2022. Her concession that 'cash is untraceable' is a recurring vulnerability the defense can exploit.
For Defense Counsel Defense counsel should consider whether any legitimate services were actually provided by Eidleh to site operators — if there is any evidence of actual consulting work, Blackwell's 'kickback' characterization becomes an opinion, not a fact. The sequential-check analysis for SAFE is strong circumstantial evidence but could be challenged as mere coincidence in handwriting style. On the Learning Journey, Defense counsel should investigate whether any daycare equipment was actually in the building, whether the purchase price was appraised or had market basis, and whether an attorney-drafted agreement weakens the fraud inference. The 'printing' point Colich made about checks is worth developing: if Total Financial Solutions (not Said) printed the checks, what does Said actually know about the amounts? Pursue the Total Financial Solutions connection aggressively.
Pauline Roase
FBI forensic accountant (CPA) who initiated the federal investigation in May 2021 as a solo investigator, issued nearly 1,300 grand jury subpoenas, and analyzed over 3,100 financial accounts to trace the full scope of the Feeding Our Future fraud.
FBI Government
Direct Examination

Roase testified about the genesis and scope of the investigation: she joined in May 2021 after MDE raised concerns, began with Safari Restaurant (by far the largest recipient), and expanded to over 3,100 financial accounts. She presented Exhibit X55a showing $245 million total deposited from MDE to Feeding Our Future. She then introduced Exhibit X3 comparing Safari Restaurant's pre-pandemic banking (1/3 of revenue spent on food) to its pandemic-era banking (99.7% food program money in; only 4.1% spent on food), and showed $5.6 million going to Safari owners, including $2.1 million to Salim Said through various entities. She also flagged Premium Fresh Produce and Afro Produce as suppliers whose invoices did not reconcile with payments. Her direct examination was cut short at the end of day.

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From January 2018 through December 2021, MDE deposited $245.7 million into Feeding Our Future's accounts; the single largest deposit was $17.8 million on May 6, 2021; the last deposit was $2.5 million on January 13, 2022 — one week before the search warrants. An additional $1.5 million was stopped by MDE after the investigation went overt. — Establishes the full scale of the fraud to the jury and frames the entire scheme as draining a massive federal program. [p. 3274-3277]
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Safari Restaurant during the pandemic: 99.7% of money in came from the Federal Child Nutrition Program; only 4.1% of that was spent on food purchases — compared to roughly one-third food expense pre-pandemic when the restaurant operated normally. — The 4.1% food expenditure rate is perhaps the single most powerful statistical datum against Salim Said: it is virtually impossible to claim you are providing thousands of meals daily while spending only 4 cents of every federal dollar on food. [p. 3287-3289]
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Of $16.5 million in food program income to Safari Restaurant, Salim Said received $2.1 million through Salim Limited ($1.9M) and his wife Anisa Chekchekani ($133,500); the Safari owners collectively received $5.6 million; Aimee Bock received $310,000; total to all codefendants and related parties was $10+ million. — Puts a precise dollar figure on Said's personal enrichment from the fraud. The wife's receipt of funds could complicate any innocent-intent defense. [p. 3289-3291]
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Premium Fresh Produce (formed October 2020) and Afro Produce provided invoices in response to grand jury subpoenas that did not match the payments or the invoices recovered from Feeding Our Future and park Avenue — suggesting fabricated food supplier documentation. — Directly rebuts any argument that Safari Restaurant was actually purchasing food at scale; the purported food suppliers cannot account for the money either. [p. 3293-3295]
Cross-Examination

No cross-examination occurred on this day — her direct was cut short at 4:18 p.m. and she will continue the following day.

Vulnerabilities Roase is very credible as the original investigator with a CPA and ten years of FBI experience. However, she is a single-person investigation origin story — Defense counsel should explore whether early investigative decisions (e.g., starting with Safari, expanding based on pattern recognition) reflect inherent confirmation bias. The 4.1% food expenditure figure is powerful but she acknowledged she did not know how to assess food-service industry norms — could an expert rebut that a SFSP/CACFP summer meal program legitimately has lower food costs than a full-service restaurant? The invoice mismatches with Premium Fresh and Afro Produce are stated but not yet shown to the jury in detail — probe the methodology of how she attempted reconciliation. She also acknowledged the $1.5 million stop-payment means MDE itself assessed continued fraud — which is good for the government but also means MDE bore some responsibility for earlier failures to stop payments.
For Defense Counsel Cross should focus on: (1) her initial scope decisions — why did she assume fraud before confirming? (2) what legitimate food-service cost benchmarks she used for the 4.1% comparison; (3) the Premium Fresh/Afro invoice mismatch — how thorough was the reconciliation effort and could poor record-keeping by a small business explain the gaps? (4) Whether the 'one-woman investigation' origins created confirmation bias in deciding which accounts to subpoena. Defense counsel should also probe whether Roase can confirm the total amount paid to Salim Said's wife was really program-derived versus pre-pandemic restaurant income.
Key Evidence
Type Exhibit Description Page Challenge Opportunity
Financial Record Gov. Ex. X25, X26 (Eidleh Inc. and Bridge Consulting sources/uses) Summary financial charts showing all money flowing into and out of Eidleh Inc. ($825,000+ from food program participants) and Bridge Consulting ($1.1 million+), with corresponding cash withdrawals. [p. 3117-3121] Blackwell's conclusions that these are kickbacks are her opinion based on bank records alone; no invoice analysis or interview of Eidleh was shown. The payments could theoretically represent legitimate consulting services she cannot rule out solely from bank records.
Document Gov. Ex. HH26 Purchase of Business Agreement dated August 13, 2021, between The Learning Journey (seller, Aimee Bock) and Cosmopolitan Business Solutions (buyer, Abdulkadir Salah), for $310,000 — $75,000 for equipment and $235,000 for goodwill of a daycare center that never operated. [p. 3150-3156] The agreement was reportedly prepared by an attorney (Blackwell acknowledged this), though no attorney's signature appears. Defense could argue the sale was a legitimate business transaction for Bock's child care expertise and goodwill in the field generally, not specific to Southcross.
Document Gov. Ex. S11 Cashier's check from Cosmopolitan Business Solutions to Aimee Marie Bock for $310,000 dated August 13, 2021. [p. 3157-3158] The check itself does not show the source of funds. The tracing back to program money through multiple accounts (S29) is Blackwell's analysis and could be challenged on chain-of-funds methodology.
Surveillance Gov. Ex. S12 Bank branch video showing Aimee Bock depositing the $310,000 cashier's check into her personal U.S. Bank account on August 13, 2021. [p. 3158-3159] Video shows she deposited a check — does not by itself establish fraud. The defense theory would be she lawfully received payment for a legitimate business transaction.
Document Gov. Ex. BB41b Facebook Messenger exchange between Aimee Bock and Malcolm Watson on December 20, 2021: 'The amount of money I'm going to make tomorrow you should be fucking happy.' [p. 3192-3193] Context could be ambiguous — Bock could claim she was referring to any number of legitimate revenue sources. The defense should probe whether 'tomorrow' specifically referred to the December 21 check collection or something else.
Document Gov. Ex. S30 GoFundMe campaign 'Feed MN' webpage for Feeding Our Future II showing $73,985 raised, organized by Feeding Our Future II (Bock's separate entity), with donation history showing program participants — Salim Said, Abdulkadir Salah, Sharmake Jama, Mekfira Hussein, and others — making donations. [p. 3181-3189] GoFundMe is a legitimate fundraising platform. Donations from program participants could reflect genuine community support. Blackwell acknowledged Bock could not control whether donations succeed or fail, and the fundraiser was not geographically restricted.
Financial Record Gov. Ex. X55a Summary table of all MDE electronic deposits into Feeding Our Future accounts from 2018 through January 2022, showing cumulative total of nearly $245 million, including a $17.8 million single deposit on May 6, 2021. [p. 3274-3277] This is a summary exhibit; the underlying bank records would need to be checked for completeness. The government stopped one final $1.5 million payment — meaning not all money claimed was actually paid.
Data/Summary Gov. Ex. X3 (Safari Restaurant sources and uses) Two-part financial summary comparing Safari Restaurant banking pre-pandemic (Jan 2018 – Mar 2020) versus pandemic-era (Apr 2020 – Jan 2022): pre-pandemic ~1/3 of income spent on food; pandemic era 99.7% of income from food program, only 4.1% spent on food purchases. [p. 3283-3289] A food-service industry expert could potentially argue that SFSP/CACFP summer meal programs have different food cost structures than sit-down restaurants. The comparison to pre-pandemic restaurant operations may not be apples-to-apples. Roase acknowledged she is not a food-industry expert.
Document Gov. Exs. Z16-Z38 Series of checks from Cosmopolitan Business Solutions and Salim Limited LLC to Eidleh entities, each corresponding to a bribery count, each signed by Salim Said, each dated within days of large Feeding Our Future reimbursements to Safari Restaurant. [p. 3122-3135] All checks were printed, not handwritten by Said. Total Financial Solutions may have printed them. Said's mere signing does not necessarily establish he determined the amounts or purpose. Defense should explore whether these check amounts were consistent with pre-existing business arrangements.
Financial Record Gov. Ex. X52 Flow chart showing $44.1 million requested by Feeding Our Future from MDE for the Safari group; $40 million paid; $36.1 million going to defendants/entities; $3.8 million to Brava Restaurant (related party); total $40 million to the Safari ecosystem. [p. 3278-3279] The characterization of all these payments as fraudulent assumes the meals were not served — that foundational fact (no real meals) still depends on witness testimony and other evidence, not just financial records.
Legal Rulings & Objections
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Udoibok objected to government's leading question ('Hundreds of millions?') when asking Blackwell how much Feeding Our Future received. Court sustained the objection and struck the answer. — Government must be more careful about leading with its own witnesses. The subsequent non-leading question produced the same answer ($240 million+), so the ruling had no practical effect. [p. 3183]
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Jacobs objected 'beyond the scope' when Udoibok tried to introduce exhibit X6 on cross. Court sustained. — Defense for Bock is limited to matters raised on direct. Defense counsel should be prepared for scope objections if he tries to expand cross-examination into areas not covered by direct. [p. 3248]
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Court held a sidebar with Udoibok, admonishing him that he was rephrasing questions after receiving answers, creating confusion for the witness and jury. — The court is actively monitoring defense cross-examination technique. Udoibok's cross was visibly disorganized — defense counsel has a significant opportunity to present a more disciplined, focused cross if this witness appears in his trial. [p. 3229]
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Jacobs objected to foundation when Udoibok asked whether people other than food program participants attended the December meeting at FOF. Court overruled. — Defense has latitude to ask about the December meeting and who attended, which could be relevant if non-program-participant attendees suggest a non-corrupt purpose. [p. 3212]
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Jacobs objected that 'people don't have daycare center licenses, daycare centers have licenses.' Court characterized it as a fair representation of Blackwell's testimony and overruled. — The court is not going to help the government with technical hair-splitting on whether Bock personally had a license vs. whether her entity had one. Defense counsel can exploit the ambiguity of who exactly applied for the DHS license. [p. 3229]
Prior Defense Performance

Udoibok's cross-examination of Blackwell was disorganized and largely ineffective. His primary strategy — showing Bock was not a signatory to accounts where kickbacks landed — is technically accurate but strategically weak because the government never claimed Bock had direct access to Eidleh's accounts; the theory is she received money indirectly through Eidleh's corrupt oversight and directly through the Learning Journey sale and School Age Consultants. The court had to admonish Udoibok for confusing cross-examination technique. He missed an opportunity to fully develop the 'policy manual' defense (he never asked what the manual contained, how many pages it was, whether it had real commercial value, or whether other organizations purchased similar documents). He also failed to challenge the DHS letter more aggressively — the letter shows Bock applied for a license as early as May 2020 and had contact with DHS in December 2020, suggesting she was not simply operating a fraudulent scheme from day one but may have genuinely attempted to open a daycare before COVID intervened. Colich's cross for Said was brief and focused but did not produce any significant concessions. His best point — that the checks were printed and someone else (Total Financial Solutions) may have prepared them — was raised but not developed with specificity. He should have asked whether Blackwell had any evidence Said was involved in actually writing or preparing the checks, or whether she had ever seen Said communicate about the check amounts.