A Minnesota judge acquitted a man on multiple charges after a jury found him guilty of aiding and abetting theft, sparking backlash from conservatives on social media.

Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Judge Sarah West on Thursday granted a motion for acquittal filed by Abdifatah Abdulkadir Yusuf on charges related to fraud at a company he owned, Promise Health Services LLC. West ruled that the state’s case “relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.”

“While the Court is troubled by the manner in which fraud was able to be perpetuated at Promise, the State’s evidence did not exclude other reasonable, rational inferences that are inconsistent with Mr. Yusuf’s guilt,” West wrote.

Why It Matters

Earlier this year, a national association of federal judges said there has been a "rise in cr

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