Aimee Bock, who founded the Feeding Our Future nonprofit in 2016, is pictured on Jan. 27, 2022, in St. Anthony, Minn. (Star Tribune)
For years, Feeding Our Future operated modestly, handling roughly $3 million to $4 million annually in federal child-nutrition reimbursements, according to prosecutors.
That trajectory changed abruptly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when emergency rule changes loosened oversight and allowed sponsors to submit claims without normal verification.
As executive director of Feeding Our Future, Bock approved meal sites, some of which were fake, and then certified the claims, signing off on the reimbursements from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
She would soon preside over a network that claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which prosecutors say the scammers fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds — a scale of growth that far outpaced the nonprofit’s pre-pandemic size and internal capacity. Later filings and sentencing releases described the total impact as closer to $300 million.
To keep the scheme going, prosecutors said Bock used her authority to intimidate and control operators, approving implausible meal counts and cutting off those who refused to comply.
"Aimee Bock was a God," cooperating witness Hanna Marekegn testified, according to trial exhibits, which were used to describe how much power Bock allegedly held over the network.
Marekegn was the owner of Brava Café, a meal site sponsored by Feeding Our Future.
INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
Aimee Bock and houses purchased with the funds (Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office; Department of Justice)
"Bock lied to MDE and falsely accused state officials of racism to keep the money flowing," one of the slides reads.
Earlier in the trial, prosecutors had shown how she approved 21 meal sites along a 1.8-mile stretch of Lake Street, which together claimed to serve as many kids as there were in the entire Minneapolis school district.
Bock testified that the concentration of sites was justified because several grocery stores in the area were damaged during the George Floyd riots.
"This large area became what’s known as a food desert," she testified, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis.
A federal jury ultimately found Bock guilty on all counts she faced, including wire fraud, conspiracy and bribery. Her co-defendant, Salim Said, was also convicted on multiple charges, including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. At least 78 people have now been indicted in the ongoing investigation.
HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED 'RACIST' HELPED 'PROVIDE COVER' FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Government Exhibits BB-50 and BB-1 show designer bags, jewelry, cash piles, a Lamborghini photo and a white Mercedes prosecutors labeled as "Handy Helpers Spending" to illustrate the lavish lifestyle inside the network surrounding Aimee Bock. Prosecutors made no claim that Bock personally bought these items. (Department of Justice)
Watson has not been charged in the Feeding Our Future cases.
He was charged with six tax-related felony offenses in September for allegedly underreporting his income for 2020 and 2021, failing to file a return for 2022 and failing to pay the income taxes he owed for those years. Watson allegedly owes more than $64,000 in unpaid income tax.
He is currently being held in the Anoka County jail on a felony probation violation unrelated to the tax case.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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