Minnesota jury finds alleged mastermind in nation’s largest Covid-19 fraud scheme guilty

Reuters

Kalé Carey Reporter

U.S.

MN jury finds leader in nation’s largest COVID-19 fraud scheme guilty

Yesterday

Kalé Carey Reporter

By Kalé Carey (Reporter), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

A Minnesota jury convicted Aimee Bock of masterminding a $250 million fraud scheme related to COVID-19 relief funds. Bock, who founded Feeding Our Future, recruited others to inflate meal numbers and pocket the extra funds.
The jury also convicted Salim Ahmed Said, a restaurant owner and co-defendant, on multiple charges, including wire fraud and money laundering.
Gov. Tim Walz faced criticism for the scandal, but praised the prosecution for presenting strong evidence. Bock and Said will remain in state custody until their sentencing hearings.

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Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit aimed at feeding hungry children in Minneapolis, was found guilty of leading one of the single largest fraud schemes against federal pandemic relief programs in the country.

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COVID-19 relief funding fraud in Minnesota

The Justice Department said Bock and her co-conspirators pocketed COVID-19 relief funds instead of using them to provide meals for children in need. Prosecutors claim the group recruited dozens of others to participate in the scheme, inflating meal numbers and keeping the excess funds.

Authorities charged 70 people in connection with the scheme, including Bock and Salim Ahmed Said, the owner of a local restaurant.

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A judge tried Said as Bock’s co-defendant. Authorities said he was a program sponsor for Feeding Our Future.

The jury convicted Bock on seven charges while finding Said guilty on 21 charges. Each faces prison sentences for wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and bribery involving federal programs.

During the trial, each defendant maintained their innocence, testifying in their defense. Prosecutors said Bock stole $2 million, while they accused Said of stealing $5 million.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced criticism for allowing the crime to take place under his leadership after the fraud was exposed in 2023. However, he thanked the prosecutors, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for presenting a case with strong evidence.

“This is something that is obviously very close to me because I am furious about this. I have been from the beginning. These are criminals that preyed on a system that was meant to feed children. It was organized, they continued to lie about that,” Gov. Walz said.

How was the scheme exposed?

According to prosecutors, the scheme fabricated thousands of meals for children every day at locations across Minneapolis. Authorities said the two used taxpayer money through the state’s Education Department to fund the scheme.

The fraud occurred under the Federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides free meals to children in need. While most states have the USDA fund state governments to administer the program, in Minnesota, the state Department of Education oversees it.

In 2022, the Minnesota Department of Education was found in contempt of court for attempting to cut payments to Feeding Our Future, a year before the scheme was exposed.

Prosecutors said Feeding Our Future recruited food vendors and restaurants to falsely claim they were serving thousands of meals during the pandemic. Participants inflated the meal numbers or simply lied and kept the extra funds.

During the investigation, the FBI set up cameras to verify whether restaurants like Said’s were serving the claimed number of meals. Video evidence showed the number of meals served was far lower than reported, with much less food reaching children.

Before the pandemic, Bock and Said were key players in the program, collecting more than $3 million in federal aid in 2019 and nearly $200 million in 2021, which included a portion for administrative expenses.

Other defendants, past trial

In a related trial in 2024, a jury convicted five individuals tied to the scheme. Thirty-seven others avoided trial by pleading guilty.

The judge ruled that Bock and Said will remain in state custody until their sentencing hearings, despite defense attorneys arguing they posed no threat to the public. Bock and Said’s attorneys said they should be given time to settle their affairs.

Tags: Children, COVID-19, Department of Education, Fraud, Minnesota, Pandemic, taxpayer funds, Tim Walz, USDA

[Kalé Carey]

GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES.

A MINNESOTA JURY CONVICTED AIMEE BOCK OF BEING THE MASTERMIND BEHIND A SCHEME TO DEFRAUD THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF 250 MILLION DOLLARS DURING THE PANDEMIC.

BOCK FOUNDED FEEDING OUR FUTURE, AN ORGANIZATION AIMED AT FEEDING HUNGRY CHILDREN IN MINNEAPOLIS.

BUT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS INSTEAD OF USING COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDING FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE, THE GROUP POCKETED THE MONEY AND RECRUITED DOZENS OF OTHERS IN THE LARGEST FRAUD SCHEME AGAINST PANDEMIC PROGRAMS.

SEVENTY PEOPLE WERE CHARGED, INCLUDING BOCK. SALIM AHMED SAID, THE OWNER OF A LOCAL RESTAURANT AND PROGRAM SPONSOR OF THE NON PROFIT, WAS TRIED AS BOCK’S CODEFENDANT.

THE JURY FOUND BOCK GUILTY ON SEVEN CHARGES WHILE SAID WAS CONVICTED ON 21–BOTH FACE PRISON SENTENCES FOR WIRE FRAUD, MONEY LAUNDERING, CONSPIRACY AND BRIBERY INVOLVING FEDERAL PROGRAMS.

DURING THE TRIAL, EACH CO-DEFENDANT TESTIFIED IN THEIR DEFENSE, MAINTAINING THEIR INNOCENCE AGAINST THE CHARGES.

PROSECUTORS CLAIMED THAT, AS PART OF THE SCHEME, BOCK STOLE TWO MILLION DOLLARS, WHILE SAID WAS ACCUSED OF POCKETING FIVE MILLION.

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ FACED CRITICISM FOR ALLOWING THIS CRIME TO HAPPEN UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP WHEN IT WAS EXPOSED IN 2023. HOWEVER, HE THANKED THE PROSECUTORS, THE FBI AND THE USDA FOR PRESENTING A CASE WITH STRONG EVIDENCE.

(“This is something that is obviously very close to me because I am furious about this. I have been from the beginning. These are criminals that preyed on a system that was meant to feed children. It was organized, they continued to lie about that.”)

THE SCHEME ALLEGEDLY INVENTED FAKE MEALS FOR THOUSANDS OF KIDS EVERY DAY AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN MINNEAPOLIS, ALL FUNDED BY TAXPAYER MONEY THROUGH THE STATE’S EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

THIS FRAUD TOOK PLACE UNDER THE FEDERAL CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, RUN BY THE USDA, WHICH PROVIDES FREE MEALS TO KIDS IN NEED. ACROSS MOST STATES, THE USDA DIRECTLY FUNDS STATE GOVERNMENTS TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM. BUT IN MINNESOTA, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HANDLES IT.

THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WAS FOUND IN CONTEMPT OF COURT IN 2022—ONE YEAR BEFORE THE SCHEME WAS EXPOSED—FOR TRYING TO CUT PAYMENTS TO THE NONPROFIT.

THE PROSECUTION CLAIMED THAT FEEDING OUR FUTURE RECRUITED FOOD VENDORS AND RESTAURANTS TO FALSELY CLAIM THEY WERE PROVIDING THOUSANDS OF MEALS TO KIDS DURING THE PANDEMIC. THE PARTICIPANTS INFLATED THE NUMBERS OR JUST LIED, POCKETING THE EXTRA MONEY.

THE FBI SET UP CAMERAS TO VERIFY IF RESTAURANTS LIKE SAID’S WERE ACTUALLY SERVING UP TO SIX THOUSAND MEALS, AS CLAIMED ON THE FORMS. BUT THE VIDEO EVIDENCE SHOWED THE NUMBERS WERE FAR FROM THE TRUTH, WITH MUCH LESS FOOD REACHING CHILDREN.

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BOCK AND SAID WERE KEY PLAYERS IN THE PROGRAM, COLLECTING OVER THREE MILLION IN FEDERAL AID IN 2019 AND ALMOST 200 MILLION IN 2021, INCLUDING A CUT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.

IN THE FIRST TRIAL LAST YEAR, FIVE PEOPLE TIED TO THE SCHEME WERE CONVICTED, AFTER AN ALLEGED ATTEMPT BY THE DEFENDANTS AND OTHERS TO BRIBE A JUROR. 37 OTHERS AVOIDED A TRIAL BY PLEADING GUILTY.

BOCK AND SAID WILL REMAIN IN STATE CUSTODY UNTIL THEIR SENTENCING HEARINGS, DESPITE BOTH DEFENSE ATTORNEYS ARGUING THAT THEY POSE NO THREAT TO THE PUBLIC AND SHOULD BE GIVEN TIME TO SETTLE THEIR AFFAIRS.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M KALÉ CAREY

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