According to the department, the scheme is the largest Covid-19-related fraud uncovered by investigators to date. Floor leveling that had to be done. The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com. I can tell you with 100% confidence, all of that money was spent in accordance with the regulations surrounding child nutrition programs. For serving as a sponsor to Stigma-Free Willmar, Feeding Our Future received nearly $500,000 in administrative fees. He said he wouldn't comment further until seeing the indictment. I think that bad intel was intentionally provided by the Department of Education. Between November 2020 and November 2021, Stigma-Free Willmar, a food site sponsored by Feeding Our Future, purported to feed 2,000 children a daywhich would have constituted about half the students in the Willmar Public Schools. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Education on Wednesday filed a claim seeking to recover more than $538,000 spent on defending the agency against a discrimination lawsuit brought by Aimee Bock, the former executive director of Feeding Our Future. Subscribe to, Feeding Our Future fraud investigation puts nonprofits under Minnesota lawmakers' microscope | FOX 9, An attorney for the Minnesota Department of Education said Wednesday that a federal investigation is ongoing into what he called "one of the largest fraud occurrences in state history" at a meals program and hinted about grand jury involvement. Bock: Absolutely, and they are approved by the state. Bock went on to work for an education trade group called Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children, where she helped child care organizations manage accreditation. Our program support room, where weve got cubicles, was just open. Welcome to the official YouTube channel of KARE 11 News. The 47 defendants are charged across six separate indictments and three criminal informations with charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and bribery, the release says. Feeding Our Future may reject a nonprofits application for reimbursement if the documentation shows it didnt provide enough complete mealsfor example if it didnt buy enough milk for the number of children it said it served, Bock said. Sponsors must submit an application to MDE for each site. Your tax-deductible donation helps us keep bringing you and every Minnesotan essential, nonpartisan information. Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future. Schools were shut down. Everyone should know her face. 2023 FOX Television Stations, until WED 3:00 PM CST, Clay County, Crow Wing County, East Becker County, East Otter Tail County, Hubbard County, Mahnomen County, North Cass County, Northern Aitkin County, South Cass County, South Clearwater County, South Itasca County, Wadena County, West Becker County, West Otter Tail County, Wilkin County, until WED 6:00 PM CST, Carlton/South St. Louis Counties, Southern Lake/North Shore, a fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future, A 49th person was charged on Monday, Sept. 26, MnDOT launches greater Minnesota trip planner for public transit, Richfield school fatal shooting: Man sentenced in Jahmari Rice's killing, Uvalde Foundation to investigate 3 St. Paul schools over recent violence, Wood From The Hood has gone out on a limb to reclaim urban wood for 15 years, Twin Cities woman celebrates defeat of rare brain cancer, Inver Grove Heights holds meeting on elevated levels of radium in water, Homicide victims cousin calls for more police in debate over safety at St. Paul schools, Police: Man convicted in arson trashes Caribou in Brooklyn Park, DNA test backlog in Minnesota causing problems for law enforcement, Deshaun Hill killing: Cody Fohrenkam sentenced in teen's murder, Final emergency SNAP benefits going out in March, Teen charged in shooting at event for Harding High School stabbing victim, Trans woman violently assaulted at Minneapolis LRT station, MnDOT awards 23 communities Safe Routes to School grants, 2 teens struck after getting out of car following crash on I-35 in Burnsville, Alex Murdaugh family home 'Moselle' recently for sale, now under contract, during murder trial, Minnesota weather: What to expect with more snow on the way. Bock arrived at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday with her attorneys Kenneth Udoibok and Nancy Hylden. The lawsuit goes back to November 2020 when Feeding Our Future alleged that since Sept. 8, 2020, it had submitted 51 applications to open new distribution centers in low-income and minority communities that MDE failed to process. A few days ago, on February 25th, 2022, a not-for-profit organization called Feeding Our Future announced that it is dissolving its operations. (The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. But Ms. Bock did the opposite . Or call us at 612-548-4344. Federal agents executed search warrants on more than a dozen properties connected to what FBI search warrants call an alleged pattern of deception, money laundering and fraud by a Minneapolis organization claiming to feed at-risk children. The indictment accuses Bock of overseeing a massive scheme to defraud, committed by the sites that Feeding Our Future sponsored. Abdi Nur Salah, 34, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Salim Ahmed Said, 33, of Plymouth, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. But its not all good news. Our team processes and reviews it. It wasnt real estate. 2020by FEEDING OUR FUTURE.This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Feeding Our Future went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021, according to DOJ. The FBI alleges that Feeding Our Future, which Bock founded in 2017 and where she serves as executive director, mishandled tens of millions of dollars of federal child nutrition money. Meanwhile, Aimee Bock of Feeding. 5353 Gamble Dr Ste 320 . Aimee Bock is the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization in Minnesota that participated in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. That left me in a position where I was opening a business to serve children who were confined to their homes. Please reload the page and try again. Aimee Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Help us reach 150 new monthly donors by March 15. Main address. Instead of feeding children, the money was allegedly spent for personal purposes on real estate, luxury cars, and lavish travel. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Education was given "false assurances" that Feeding Our Future was serving the meals as claimed after the department "attempted to perform necessary oversight regarding the number of sites and amount of claims being submitted," according to the DOJ. He predicted that her court case could continue for a year. Aimee Bock blames a feud with the Minnesota Department of Education for a federal probe into alleged misuse of food aid. Sahan Journal publishes deep, reported news for and with immigrants and communities of colorthe kind of stories you wont find anywhere else. Sahan Journal is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Minnesotan essential, nonpartisan information. Coupled that with the fact that it was the week of George Floyds murder. First published on September 23, 2022 / 11:36 AM. The text under the video says: Thank you very much Feeding Our Future/Aimee Bock for fighting for minorities. Subscribe Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. The program was expanded by Congress at the start of the pandemic to allow more organizations to participate. This is a tired, worn-out building. Our winter sustainer campaign is happening now! MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Forty-eight people have been charged in connection to a fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future a scheme federal officials are calling the largest pandemic fraud in the country. Instead of spending this money on feeding children, the search warrants allege nearly two dozen people defrauded the government and spent it on personal items like luxury cars, expensive real estate, and lavish trips. pic.twitter.com/kIrHaDdRrK. Instead, federal money was spent by conspirators to buy six pieces of real estate, including a $500,000 property in Kenya. Bock: I dont know what he spent it on when he was there. We utilize the Child and Adult Care Food Program to increase healthy food access for Minnesotas youth and seniors., Before that, she worked as director of operations for Partners in Nutrition in St. Paul, which works to break down barriers to participation in the USDA Child and Care Food Program. Udoibok: Stolen, thats another objection. He attached a roster with the names of the children. Omar ran the Stigma-Free Waite Park site. We owe our readers the truth. Omar-Hashim created a company called Olive Management Inc., a site that received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. FEEDING OUR FUTURE has the following openings. . Bock previously told Sahan Journal that the $310,000 transaction actually involved the purchase of a daycare business that she founded in 2019. Everything was frozen. These sites, created and operated by the defendants and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed, the release says. I mean, we were in lockdown. The non-profit also alleges that MDE changed its application process requiring new administrative and procedural hurdles, imposed restrictions on its ability to expand, withheld federal funding and has taken retaliatory action against the Feeding Our Future leadership. In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments news release says. She is also working as an MNCPD Approved Trainer. During the pandemic, when schoolsoften an important source of childrens mealsshut down, these reimbursements amounted to millions of dollars each month. . Eligible nonprofit organizations partner with the Minnesota Department of Education to sponsor unaffiliated sites participation inthe CACFP. In the lawsuit, the department alleges that Feeding Our Futures auditor failed to file the audit properly, did not update its budget worksheet, has been slow to hire an accountant, that its applications was riddled with typos, and that it is investigating four complaints filed against the non-profit. No. FBI investigates Minnesota nonprofit for allegedly misusing millions of dollars meant to feed kids, According to an FBI warrant, Feeding Our Future's federal funding grew from $3.4 million in 2019 to more than $197 million in 2021. : Forty-eight people have now been charged in connection to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. 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 community is tired of MDE illegally blocking access to the federal food program, Bock said. Nonprofit wins small battle in lawsuit with the, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window), Nonprofit wins small battle in lawsuit with the MN Dept. But when you say its a kickback, the use of the word is not supported by any evidence. Share this: Aimee Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Shes met all her burden under the law. lock Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan. Bock: I think the feds are acting on bad intel. The defendants submitted false invoices purporting to document the purchase of food to be served to children at the sites., The defendants are also accused of submitting fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. Asked if he had a message for the families and children who relied on the government-subsidized meals, Udoibok said, Its an unfortunate situation. It has been nearly two weeks since federal agents raided Aimee Bocks house, the nonprofit she runs, and several companies associated with it. Aimee Bock, executive director of Feeding Our Future, drafted a set of talking points for city officials to use during a May 14 meeting with Heather Mueller, commissioner of the Minnesota . Investigators allege that in a little over 20 months, these operations fraudulently reported providing more than 125 nonexistent million meals to children. Bock was the. The program is operated in Minnesota through the Division of Nutrition, Health andYouth Developmentat the Minnesota Department of Education. Contact us atmembership@sahanjournal.com. Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock released from custody The founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future was released from custody earlier this week after she surrendered her passport . People under criminal investigation such as Bock are often reluctant to speak publicly. Immigrants and communities of colorthe kind of stories you wont find anywhere else cubicles, just! Who were confined to their homes journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com Our monthly plan who bring the! Have served more than 125 nonexistent million meals and received approximately $ 5 million in fraudulent federal Nutrition. Serve children who were confined to their homes massive scheme to defraud, committed by the Department of Education was... 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