The Feeding Our Future federal trial’s lessons on defending yourself in a trial with co-defendants: A Minnesota criminal defense attorney explains
(photo credit by CC 2.0)
Aimee Bock and Salim Said are co-defendants in federal trial being held in Minneapolis, MN. They are accused of being the ringleaders of the Feeding our Future fraud that allegedly took a quarter of a billion dollars from the government. It was the largest COVID fraud in the nation. On the morning of March 18, 2025, Salim Said answered questions in response to cross examination from the government and also the two defense attorneys. There are some important lessons for other people who are charged as co-defendants in cases.
Distancing yourself from co-defendants in a criminal trial: implementing an important strategy
It is common for the government to try and lump everybody together once they find something they think is criminal. The problem is that they can scoop up innocent friends, family, and co-workers, and try to impute guilt notwithstanding they were not involved. If that happens to you it’s important that you have a criminal defense attorney who employs a strategy to distance the actions of other co-defendants from what you did. Both the attorneys for Aimee Bock and Salim Said did this on Monday morning on re-direct examination. They both asked questions to draw distinctions between the government’s broad generalizations and narrow in on only what each defendant did, said, and actually knew about. Salim Said’s attorney did a particularly excellent job of this. With dramatic flair in his voice, he asked Ms. Said, “have you ever seen this invoice?” To which the defendant replied, “no.” The government wanted to pretend that Mr. Said was responsible for the invoice, but he wasn’t. Some facts can gets lost in the shuffle of a long trial without proper clarification. But Mr. Said’s attorney made it clear to the jury what to make of the invoice. If you are charged in a crime with co-defendants, you want a criminal defense attorney who will advocate for you like this.
Conclusion
If you are charged with a crime involving co-defendants, you want to find a skilled criminal defense attorney. Only a skilled criminal defense attorney will be able to protect your rights and advise you on how to navigate a complicated legal system. Contact Subzero Criminal Defense today for a free consultation. 651-248-5142