A split image shows defendant Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Future fraud case, left, and a separate photo introduced as evidence during the trial depicting luxury spending allegedly tied to people in her network, right. (Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office; Department of Justice)
Bock founded the Feeding Our Future nonprofit in 2016, and, for years, it 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).
Government Exhibit S-12 shows Aimee Bock at a bank counter making a $30,000 cash withdrawal, evidence prosecutors said was tied to the bribery and kickback allegation in Count 40. (Department of Justice)
She was also involved in a kickback scheme by accepting cash payments from meal site operators in exchange for site approvals and reimbursements, prosecutors said.
In 2021, when the MDE grew suspicious and tried to stop the flow of funds, Feeding Our Future sued, alleging racial discrimination.
Of the 78 defendants charged to date, 57 have been convicted, according to Bondi, who said that 72 of the defendants are of Somalian descent, while five defendants are "currently fugitives in Africa."
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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