MINNEAPOLIS -- The founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future was released from custody earlier this week after she surrendered her passport and agreed not to travel outside of. September 24, 2022 - 8:31 PM. Feeding Our Family is accused of opening over 250 sites throughout Minnesota. This was a brazen scheme of staggering proportions, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota said in a statement. and other agencies raided 15 homes and offices around the Twin Cities. I commend the work of the skilled investigators and prosecutors who unraveled the lies, deception, and mountains of false documentation to bring this complex case to light.. The USDA then provides MDE federal reimbursement funds on a per-meal basis. Send this article to anyone, no subscription is necessary to view it, Anyone can read, no subscription required, See Feeding Our Future took millions in federal money in 2020. That said, the fraud allegations actually come from the FBI. Instead, the department issued a statement saying that it takes fraud and the protection of taxpayer dollars very seriously.. "It shook me to my core. Three FBI search warrant affidavits, unsealed last month in federal court, allege that Bock participated in a wide scheme defrauding the federal government of millions of dollars earmarked for feeding underserved children. Udoibok said that after seizing scores of documents during last months multiple raids, the FBI now has all of the relevant information. Send this article to anyone, no subscription is necessary to view it, Anyone can read, no subscription required, See They submitted fraudulent meal count sheets purporting to document the number of children and meals served at each site. To start, Bock calls this understanding of how the child nutrition program works a mischaracterization.. Instead, federal money was spent by conspirators to buy six pieces of real estate, including a $500,000 property in Kenya. The following defendants are named in the United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al. I can open the door and I can hold it open and provide the security so it is safe for them to walk through. I need to see that it was cereal, that it was oatmeal, that it was something within the parameters of the meal requirements. Regulators also let parents bring meals home instead of requiring children to eat on site. Bock says whatever the for-profit food distributors do with their profit margins is outside of her authority. It wasnt real estate. These defendants exploited a program designed to provide nutritious food to needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because as we see time and time again, our more-populated areas get the services, but those in outstate Minnesota, those outside of Wilmar, dont get the help they need. But the FBI alleges that Feeding Our Future and several subcontractors misappropriated at least $48 million of the nearly quarter-billion dollars it received from the federal government. Based on the groups claims, the State of Minnesota channeled $3.2 million of the federal food aid to the program. Instead, conspirators misappropriated the money and used it to purchase real estate, cars and other items.. In its first years, the group oversaw only a few feeding sites and, at times, seemed to struggle with overseeing itself. "It's no secret. Another operation, housed in the nearby Safari Restaurant, claimed to be feeding 6,000 children a day on its own more than the total number of children living in the restaurants ZIP code. According to court documents, the government has seized more than $3.5 million from a Feeding Our Future bank account and more than $185,000 held in Bock's personal bank accounts. Are you planning to go on vacation? No charges have been filed against Bock, Feeding our Future, or anyone else named in the search warrants. Advance Youth Athletic Developments site the location that turned out to be a second-story apartment had obtained nonprofit status in June, using a fast-track I.R.S. Meals are handed out at designated sites, which must be sponsored by an authorized organization (such as Feeding Our Future). "I am a rule follower People are going to believe what they want to believe. Feeding Our Future breaks down to 10 percent. Poor people," Nur said. process for groups that expect to have receipts of less than $50,000 per year. Typically, Luger said, just 1% to 2% of the names appeared to be legitimate. They submit the documentation to Feeding Our Future. She was fired for misconduct in 2018, according to a complaint Partners filed with federal regulators over Feeding Our Future's conduct in 2019. Nonprofit Feeding Our Future and 200+ Meal Sites in Minnesota Perpetrated the Largest COVID-19 Fraud Scheme in the Nation. These rosters were fabricated and created using fake names. Though some state legislators have faulted MDE for not acting more aggressively on its fraud suspicions, Luger declined to assess the department's oversight. The search warrant alleges Bocks boyfriend spent some of this money on a Las Vegas trip where he paid $21,000 on a rental car, $9,000 at Caesars Palace, $6,700 at Gucci, and $3,500 at Louis Vuitton. Our team processes and reviews it. Her attorney could not be reached for comment. Udoibok:Feeding Our Future and Ms. Bock only paid based on receipts and evidence of service performed. Our program support room, where weve got cubicles, was just open. Bock: Absolutely, and they are approved by the state. Udoibok called the disclosure of allegations without making charges or indictments grossly unfair to Bock. In all, more than 200 investigators from the F.B.I. A lawyer for Bock, Kenneth U. Udoibok, tells Rolling Stone, An indictment does not signify guilt or innocence. Related "I told everybody in the community, that lady has a heart," Ali said. Then, Feeding Our Future reviews these records and decides whether they meet federal guidelines. Bock andUdoibokstopped short of alleging the FBI conducted a bad investigation, and instead argue that the probe is incomplete and that it was disclosed to the public too early in the process. Since 2010, shes covered Greater Minnesota on the state/region team, Hennepin County government, west metro suburban government and west metro K-12 education. The structure, they say, rewards sponsors that pursue bigger networks and larger checks instead of those who crack down on fraud a problem that has been evident for decades. . Meanwhile, Aimee Bock of Feeding Our Future has denied wrongdoing. Make a gift of any amount today to support this resource for everyone. What is Feeding Our Future? Sams Club, Costco, and Aldi get by far the largest chunk of the money. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. "She loved conflict," Twait said of Bock. If they would have asked, they would have known it was from a sale of an independent business. One of the perks of the job, she explained, was discounted daycare for her two toddlers. Watch more KARE 11 Investigates: Watch all of the latest stories from our. Feeding Our Future's three board members voted in February to dissolve the organization in part because its bank accounts had been frozen by the federal probe. Anytime theres a conflict of interest, the people involved in the conflict are removed from the decision. We did market analysis. Bock grew up in Cottage Grove and moved to Duluth for college, graduating from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 2003 with an education degree. The defendants also created shell companies to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. Additionally, the feds seized over $185,000 from Bocks personal bank account, and $13,462 in cash, and a 2013 Porsche Panamera from her home. Why is nobody asking them where their profit margins went? Feeding Our Future was founded in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Prosecutors said the conspirators did a sloppy job of concealing their crimes, submitting fake attendance rosters that were filled with hundreds of made-up names that could not be verified by local schools. The feds have the purchase agreement, they have it all. A former teacher, Bock's full name is Aimee Marie Bock. Why are we only looking at the profit margins of our small minority-owned businesses? No. That number appeared on the groups application to enroll in one of the food-aid programs, which Feeding Our Future submitted to the state. Jeffrey Meitrodt is an investigative reporter for the Star Tribune who specializes in stories involving the collision of business and government regulation. For example, one roster was created using names from a website called www.listofrandomnames.com. Because the program only reimbursed for meals served to children, other defendants used an Excel formula to insert a random age between seven and 17 into the age column of the rosters. If youre buying doughnuts, that doesnt count. Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Futures offices in St. Anthony, Minn., on Monday. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. and continued to channel aid through the group while federal agents conducted a nine-month investigation. She said she paid herself $190,000. Many of the kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as "consulting fees" paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to conceal the true nature of the payments and make them appear legitimate, the indictment alleges. Nur is charged with four others in one indictment that alleged a $25 million fraud scheme. Again, the meals are reimbursed. At the time of last months FBI raids, Feeding Our Future worked with 200 nonprofitsusually independent daycare organizations and afterschool programswith the stated purpose, Bock said, of feeding 100,000 Minnesota children each day. As the Star Tribune reports, the Minnesota Department of Education first questioned Aimee Bock about the drastic uptick in the number of sites her organization was sponsoring in 2020. Those meals were served in the months immediately following the pandemic. "And all of a sudden they were living in $1 million houses and driving nice cars. These defendants exploited a program designed to provide nutritious food to needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lily Crooks, a day care center operator in Minneapolis, said she was dismayed when a new sponsor called to recruit her and immediately offered a plan to fool the state. I commend the work of the skilled investigators and prosecutors who unraveled the lies, deception, and mountains of false documentation to bring this complex case to light., While Tuesdays sweeping indictments are a massive breakthrough, the case against Feeding Our Future has been building for several years. We want to hear it. Regardless of whether hes my boyfriend, I have no say. Floor leveling that had to be done. To get reimbursed, Bock said the nonprofits must submit documentation to Feeding Our Future, including the menu of meals theyve served, the number of meals served, receipts for the meals, and, sometimes, attendance records of the children served. Shell companies were allegedly created to enroll in the program as sites, too, and additional shell companies were made to launder the money all these sites claimed was going to feed hungry kids. more of the story, Two former Minneapolis officials among those charged in fraud case, Judge to oversee dissolution of Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, What to know about the fraud investigation into Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, Feeding Our Future dissolves amid FBI probe over federal nutrition money, Two charged in brutal attack of transgender woman at Lake Street light-rail station, Lyft suspends Nice Ride bike sharing in Minneapolis, Golden Valley turns to contractors to fill policing gaps, 19-year-old sentenced for killing student outside Richfield school, Minn. data dashboard probes violent death causes, trends. Instead of feeding the future, they chose to steal from the future. She was released with. See Photos. She has a degree in elementary education and supervised a daycare center for four years. Heres what Bock said she wants people to know. In Minnesota, state regulators had grown alarmed by Feeding Our Futures growth and lack of financial controls by summer 2020, a spokeswoman for the states Department of Education said. The 47 defendants are charged across six separate indictments and three criminal informations with charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery. That left me in a position where I was opening a business to serve children who were confined to their homes. Because of that, my client is maligned, Udoibok said. By He and four others are charged with carrying out a $25 million fraud conspiracy. Aimee Marie Bock, 41, of Apple Valley, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and federal programs bribery. I was not there. There are people that have better relationships and more of an ability to grow. "There was huge potential.". In August 2020, S & S Catering Inc. enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Said, Salah and Ahmed could not be reached for comment. I was not in a position to just go buy one, so I slowly acquired throughout the years the stuff that I would need. All I could see were the spotlight and three guns, and they were just shouting, Get down here! By "She was the ideal candidate," Twait recalled recently. We actually got additional services beyond the scope of what was contracted, but that money was spent legally within the realms of the program. IRS Criminal Investigation is pleased to join our law enforcement partners to hold these defendants accountable.. Luger said that the government has so far seized $50 million in property tied to the scheme, including 60 bank accounts, 45 parcels of real property, 14 vehicles, jewelry and other items. none of the money has been used to feed children"; the scheme is going"; and nearly all $244 million was illegally converted to personal use, according to the FBI. Her role does not go beyond that. raids, news coverage by The Star-Tribune and Sahan Journal, a local nonprofit media outlet, has revealed that some of the operators of Feeding Our Future sites had criminal records, and that a former top aide to Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, a Democrat, was among those under investigation. School was out. Feeding Our Future executive director Aimee Bock did not respond to calls for comment Thursday evening. At the center of the investigation are claims about how the child nutrition program works and how the participants allegedly manipulated the money for their own purposes. 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