Weinvite you to learn more about the food program and the financial benefit available to your program. I dont recall the date off the top of my head. A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Free-food lawsuits may be Minnesota's biggest growth industry. 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. 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. And my conclusion is, the reason why they didnt care about the impact of that decision, is because the centers are run by immigrants and the beneficiaries of the food are also immigrants and poor people. The lawyer told Sahan Journal that Bocks denies any wrongdoing. The indictments charge Bock with overseeing a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship. According to sahanjournal.com, she founded Feeding Our Future II after receiving inquiries about working with potential food sites outside of Minnesota. READ NEXT: The Death of Queen Elizabeth II, Aimee Bock: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Abdinasir Abshir ran the Stigma-Free Mankato site. That left me in a position where I was opening a business to serve children who were confined to their homes. First published on September 23, 2022 / 11:36 AM. We were growing in site numbers, we were growing in staff size. Aimee Bock arrives at the federal courthouse with her attorneys, Kenneth Udoibok and Nancy Hylden. After purchasing the food site, the indictment continues, Abdulkadir submitted meal count sheets to Feeding Our Future claiming his business was feeding 1,700 children a day. Aimee Bock, 41, of Apple Valley is the founder of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that authorities say lied about providing millions of meals to children during the health crisis. These are for-profit entities, and what they do with their money is outside the scope of what Feeding Our Future manages. No paywalls. For one, they allege the state department fed the FBI bad information. That bad information is that Feeding Our Future grew too fast and that the number of children it reported feeding was unrealistic. Main address. Everything was frozen. Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via Getty Sponsors must submit an application to MDE for each site. Bock: We spoke with our respective attorneys and reviewed the documents, but no, it wasnt through a realtor. Eligible nonprofit organizations partner with the Minnesota Department of Education to sponsor unaffiliated sites participation inthe CACFP. In an interview earlier this year, Bock denied stealing money and said she never saw evidence of fraud. : The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Qamar Ahmed Hassan, et al. Why is nobody asking them where their profit margins went? Looking for all the latest news on the Feeding Our Future investigation? She has also a Director of Operations from 2015 to 2018. She appeared in court hours earlier on allegations that she embezzled federal money earmarked to feed underprivileged children. Have questions about your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or want to become a sustainer? indictment: Aimee Marie Bock, 41, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery. Two more people have since been charged. 3055 Old Highway 8Suite 312Minneapolis, MN 55418. Last week, the always alert Lou Raguse of KARE-11 noticed that the state Department of Education (MDE) has renewed its $583,000 claim against the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future (Feeding, FOF). : The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Sharmake Jama, et al: The founder of Feeding Our Future and 46 others have been charged in what federal officials are calling the largest pandemic fraud in the country. Feeding Our Future or Filling our Pockets! Aimee Marie Bock, 41, Apple Valley, founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future. The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Haji Osman Salad, et al. Why are we only looking at the profit margins of our small minority-owned businesses? Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future. Abdi Salah registered Stigma-Free International, a non-profit entity used to carry out the scheme with sites throughout Minnesota, including in Willmar, Mankato, St. A former teacher, Bock's full name is Aimee Marie Bock. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Said was an owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Together, they spend $4 billion a year to feed people across the country. Feeding Our Future received hundreds of millions of dollars from these two federal programs from 2019 through 2021 and passed the money down to hundreds of mostly immigrant-run nonprofits across the state, according to records from the Minnesota Department of Education. Child nutrition programs include money for administration and for maintenance, because you have to be able to sustain a business. Be as detailed as possible. Aimee Bock, executive director of the now-defunct Feeding Our Future, allegedly recruited dozens of individuals to open more than 200 food sites. To read that all of my hard work is being twisted into something that its not is hard. Help us reach 150 new monthly donors by March 15. / CBS Minnesota. Authorities alleged the massive fraud scheme took. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. We want to hear from you. They specifically take issue with how federal authorities made the allegations against Bock and others public before making any criminal charges or indictments in the case. The search warrants also alleged that Bock used the money to write a $70,000 cashiers check to her ex-husband. 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. He predicted that Bock and Feeding Our Future will ultimately not be charged or indicted. Send us an email at [email protected]. The charges against her include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Rather than feed children, the defendants enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.. If its approved, its submitted to the state for payment, and they then are essentially refunded or reimbursed their costs. Investigators accused Bock, the executive director of Feeding Our Future, of receiving a $310,000 kickback from a restaurant owner involved in the scheme. of Education. Bock asserts that her organization goes beyond federal requirements by doing things like obtaining backup receipts from the food supplier from which the nonprofit purchased the food. ), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. CACFP reimburses adult daycare and childcare centers at free, reduced-price, or paid rates for eligible meals and snacks served to eligible, targeting benefits to those children and seniors most in need. Four free-food nonprofits are suing the Dept. Heres what Bock said she wants people to know. She . Its really hard.. RELATED | Scammers use Biden's student loan forgiveness program to steal information. Bock did not have to pay any money for bail, court documents show, but she must submit to supervision by the U.S. View Aimee Bock's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Officials on Tuesday announced 47 people had been charged in connection to the scheme, including founder Aimee Bock. The program was expanded by Congress at the start of the pandemic to allow more organizations to participate. Although she has not been criminally charged, she declined a new interview for this story. 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. 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. Money Meant For Student May Have Gone To Luxury Homes, Car. No paywalls. Timeline: How feeding underprivileged children turned into a sweeping federal investigation. That means it needs to be free! Looking for all the latest news on the Feeding Our Future investigation? The indictment accuses Feeding Our Future of operating a pay-to-play scheme in which people operating fraudulent sites had to provide kickbacks and bribes to Feeding Our Future employees. By the time I submitted the application, the pandemic hit. Three people were charged via criminal information, which can only be done with their consent, meaning they are cooperating and likely to plead guilty: One person was arrested and charged via complaint after the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement: A 49th person was charged on Monday, Sept. 26: A 50th person was indicted, authorities said on Oct. 19: A 49th person has been charged in connection to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme that took hundreds of millions of dollars from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahmed Mohamed Artan, 37, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. He predicted that her court case could continue for a year. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Abdulkadir Nur Salah, 36, of Columbia Heights, 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. The USDA then provides MDE federal reimbursement funds on a per-meal basis. She then joined a daycare company called Knowledge Universe, working her way up from instructor to center director. They didnt finish the investigation before shutting the system down and publicizing it. We had no convenience stores. According to the indictment, individual sites submitted fake rosters of children they had fed using fake names and randomly generated ages. The defendants also created shell companies to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme., The government alleges the defendants submitted fraudulent meal count sheets purporting to document the number of children and meals served at each site. 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