Lou Raguse Profile picture
KARE 11 News Man. Author of Vanished in Vermillion. Family man, youth basketball coach, and elite fantasy football mind. lraguse@kare11.com
Sep 5 4 tweets 2 min read
Ladan Ali has changed her plea to guilty, admitting she dropped off the attempted bribe for a juror in the Feeding our Future trial. She is looking at a likely sentence of about 5 years in prison. Some new details came out in the plea hearing in federal court. Ali admitted she lost confidence that the bribe plan would work and instead hatched her own plan to steal the bribe money. She told the other defendants the juror would take $500k in exchange for a not-guilty verdict. They were able to come up with $200k. At the last minute, one of the co-defendants got in the car with her which prevented her from stealing all the money.. instead she says she stole $80k of it, and dropped off $120k at the juror's house.
Aug 19 8 tweets 2 min read
The Myon Burrell case today is proceeding in a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary fashion. There will not be a jury trial.. instead there will be a stipulated evidence trial where the judge renders a verdict. But first -- what he is hinging his case on -- they are asking the court of appeals to review a pretrial ruling regarding the legality of the stop and search of his car by Robbinsdale Police. The way I understand it, if the court of appeals decides the stop and search was illegal -- the prosecution agrees the case cannot go to trial and it would be dismissed.

If Burrell loses this appeal and the case goes before the judge, he almost certainly would be convicted.
Jul 31 22 tweets 4 min read
I'm in a St. Croix County Wisconsin courtroom for the sentencing of Nicolae Miu, who was convicted of killing Isaac Schuman and stabbing 4 others on the Apple River two years ago yesterday.
kare11.com/article/news/l… The victim impact statements were heartbreaking, and none moreso than Isaac's mother Alina Hernandez.
“He stole Isaac’s life and he stole my life. Losing Isaac -- my baby -- has devastated me and shattered my heart.”
“Isaac was senselessly murdered and died terrified.”
Jun 26 28 tweets 6 min read
BREAKING: The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 5 people in the attempted bribe of a juror in the recent Feeding our Future trial. The suspects include three defendants in that trial, including Said Farah – whom the jury fully acquitted. He's back in jail now. Image The bribe suspects include Said Farah, his brother Abdiaziz Farah (referred as the “ringleader” of the 7 Feeding our Future defendants tried weeks ago), and Abdimajid Nur. Two additional defendants charged -- Abdulkarim Shafii Farah and Ladan Mohamed Ali

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Jun 24 11 tweets 4 min read
I talked to Hennepin County Board candidate Marisa Simonetti after she was released from jail this morning on a 5th Degree assault charge. She says the alleged victim is a female squatter who won’t leave @M_Simonetti28’s basement at her Edina home. Story at 6:30 @kare11 Breaking the News. @M_Simonetti28 @kare11 This is quickly becoming one of the wackier stories I have covered in recent time... stay tuned.
Jun 13 17 tweets 6 min read
The Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor special review 120 page report is out concerning @MnDeptEd's oversight of Feeding our Future. The report is damning to MDE. Read the full report here and I will post highlights: auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/20…
Image @MnDeptEd For context, @MnDeptEd oversaw Feeding our Future, which was the nonprofit that sponsored meal sites during the pandemic -- many fraudulent and involved with the 70 people federally indicted (23 convicted so far.)
Jun 7 30 tweets 5 min read
BREAKING: The jury has a verdict in the Feeding our Future trial! Follow me for updates. @kare11 Image The verdict will be read at 1pm
Jun 6 23 tweets 9 min read
Will there be a verdict today? Thursday is Day 3 of jury deliberations in the Feeding our Future trial. Here is an article to catch you up on the latest developments including the investigation into the attempted $120,000 juror bribe.
kare11.com/article/news/l… I'll help with a little catch-you-up here. The Feeding our Future case involves 70 defendants in all but only 7 of them are on trial right now. 18 have pleaded guilty. $250 million has been stolen, but these 7 account for $47 to $49 million, according to prosecutors.
May 31 30 tweets 8 min read
In a two-hour closing argument this morning, federal prosecutor Joe Thompson succinctly went through the mountain of evidence against the 7 defendants in the first Feeding our Future trial in Minneapolis. I'll outline here what the jury heard. That may sound like an oxymoron -- "two-hour closing argument" and "succinctly" in the same sentence, but that is the best way to describe it. And the 7 defense attorneys who will spend the rest of today and into Monday countering it have a heck of a task ahead of them.
Apr 30 11 tweets 2 min read
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is explaining to the county board why she needs to hire outside attorneys for the Trooper Londregan case. She says they are down 10 attorneys in the adult prosecution division. Image Moriarty says this case is "unique in the way it's being litigated," saying the defense has three lawyers hired.

She says with the staff shortage, she can't afford to assign three prosecutors from the adult prosecution division to this case.
Feb 19 4 tweets 2 min read
I had an incredible interview today with Noemi Torres -- the ex-girlfriend of the Burnsville police murderer Shannon Gooden. Torres says during their abusive relationship, Gooden would claim he'd shoot police if she called 911 on him. Noemi had three children with Gooden.

Those three kids were in the house during the stand-off. Noemi says Gooden put ear muffs on his daughter before he started shooting police.
Jun 9, 2023 24 tweets 5 min read
Adam Fravel thread June 9.
If charges are filed today against Adam Fravel in the death of Maddi Kingsbury I will post details here. I’ll be in Winona again. Image BREAKING: Adam Fravel is charged with 2nd Degree Murder in the death of Maddi Kingsbury.

The criminal complaint says a knotted towel was wrapped around her head and neck.. cause of death was homicidal violence.
Jun 8, 2023 14 tweets 3 min read
Maddi Kingsbury case -- remains found, ex-boyfriend Adam Fravel arrested on suspicion of 2nd-Degree murder.

Follow this thread for my updates today from Winona on the huge developments in this case. Image A few tidbits on the location where the remains were found, off Hwy 43 north of Mabel.

Adam Fravel grew up on a farm near Mabel.

Maddi's van was seen driving on Hwy 43 on March 31.

Fravel said he was running errands that day using Maddi's van.
Mar 13, 2023 16 tweets 3 min read
BREAKING: 10 more defendants are being charged in the Feeding our Future federal meal program fraud case There will be indictments unsealed today but I have a number of details already because three suspects were charged via information, which generally indicates they are agreeing to plead guilty and cooperate.
Read here: kare11.com/mobile/article…
Nov 14, 2022 23 tweets 4 min read
MPD forensic scientist Nicole Lenway is on the witness testifying against the man charged with trying to have her killed — her ex-boyfriend and father of her child, Tim Amacher. So far the jury has heard Lenway testify about how she met Amacher at his martial arts and workout studio, started dating and eventually got pregnant. And she has detailed multiple stories of gaslighting, control, and emotional/psychological abuse.
Sep 22, 2022 41 tweets 9 min read
First up this morning from the Feeding our Future case is Khadar Adan. Despite initially jailing Adan, the U.S. Government has agreed to release him on conditions.
Magistrate Judge David Schultz warned him against trying to flee.
"I’m not going anywhere your honor," Adan said. Image Adan's role in the alleged scheme falls under Liban Alishire who is accused of having a much larger role. Alishire will also be in court today. Image
Sep 22, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
Confirmed… three of the suspects are no longer in the U.S. including a Feeding our Future working accused of taking kickbacks. Wild story of this last suspect trying to get to Ethiopia. kare11.com/article/news/c… Must be nice to write a check for a Porsche…
Sep 21, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
Former Thomas Lane is being sentenced for aiding and abetting 2nd-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

Lane pleaded guilty, and is already serving a federal sentence in Colorado.

His two co-defendants are taking the state charges to trial next month. Lane and the state agreed to a plea deal that gives him 36 months (3 years in prison) and it will run concurrently with his federal term.
Sep 20, 2022 12 tweets 3 min read
I’m at the press conference announcing indictments in the Feeding Our Future fraud. US Attorney Andy Luger says it is the largest COVID-19 related fraud scheme. Image I arrived at the courthouse just as Aimee Bock got here with her attorney. She is the highest profile of the 47 people charged today.
Apr 6, 2022 14 tweets 4 min read
No charges will be filed against the officer who shot Amir Locke during a no knock warrant, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman just announced. In a joint statement, Freeman and Attorney General Keith Ellison say Amir Locke is a victim. However they say there is not enough evidence to disprove that MDP Officer Hanneman had a right to use deadly force. Image
Dec 21, 2021 9 tweets 3 min read
As I await the verdict in the Potter trial I’ve had some time to check up on criminal cases that have not been covered. This one is particularly nightmarish and presents a new twist on the carjacking trend. The name I blacked out is a 17 year old. Freeman’s office is trying to certify this teen as an adult to face charges in district court instead of juvenile court. Judge Todd Fellman ordered the teen to be detained at the Juvenile Detention Center even though the teen’s attorney argued for electronic home monitoring.