FBI Director Kash Patel described the scheme in July as "one of the worst" in Minnesota history. (Getty Images)
Conspirators charged in the scheme falsely claimed to have served millions of meals to children during the pandemic, but instead used the money for personal gain, according to federal authorities. They are also accused of fabricating invoices, submitting fake attendance records and falsely distributing thousands of meals from hundreds of so-called food distribution "sites" across the state.
At least 77 individuals in Minnesota have been indicted as part of the fraud scheme, as Fox News Digital previously reported, and it is believed to be the largest pandemic-era scheme in U.S. history.
Trial testimony and photos previously introduced as evidence in the case showed wads of more than $64,000 in cash, gold jewelry purchased in Dubai and four vehicles, including a brand-new Tesla and a Porsche, seized from one defendant’s home and cars, along with financial records for a $1.1 million Prior Lake property that he bought to build a custom 8,000-square-foot lake house, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported at the time of the trial.
But the effort to recover at least a portion of the stolen funds has proved to be a bit slower-going. To date, federal officials have recovered an estimated $60 million in funding that was stolen as part of the "Feeding Our Futures" scheme, according to estimates provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the state — less than half of the $250 million in stolen funds.
The slow recovery effort is not for lack of trying. Last month, a federal judge in the state ordered one defendant to pay $48 million in restitution funds, in addition to a 10-year prison sentence he received as part of his role in the sprawling fraud effort.
PATEL TOUTS FBI'S DOZENS OF CONVICTIONS IN $250 MILLION MINNESOTA COVID SCAM
Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth speaks during a press conference in the governor's reception room at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., May 15, 2025. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
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Charging documents show that roughly 300 "food sites" in the state served little or no food, with the so-called food vendors and organizations fabricated to launder money intended to reimburse the cost of feeding children.
Senior FBI officials told Fox News that the investigation and resulting trials and indictments continue to impact the state and have already touched off legislative reform in Minnesota.
They added that the investigation into the fraud remains ongoing, and that additional charges were expected.
"Stealing from the federal government equates to stealing from the American people — there is no simpler truth," FBI's special agent in charge, Alvin Winston, told Fox News Digital in a statement at the time.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minnesota-fraud-scheme-unearths-millions-luxury-property-cars-doj