• Federal judge approves government seizure of millions from Aimee Bock following her conviction in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal
• Bock has been in custody since March 2025 conviction on wire fraud and bribery charges spanning three-year scheme
• Over 70 defendants charged in case that began with FBI raids in January 2022, with prosecutors recovering only $60-70 million of stolen funds

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (TDR) — A federal judge has cleared the path for prosecutors to seize $5.2 million in assets from Aimee Bock, founder of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, marking the latest development in what federal prosecutors call the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the nation. The preliminary forfeiture order, signed Dec. 31 by U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, targets cash, property and luxury items prosecutors say Bock acquired through a massive conspiracy that stole money meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three-Year Investigation Culminates in Conviction

The Feeding Our Future fraud case began in earnest when FBI agents executed coordinated raids across Minnesota on Jan. 20, 2022, targeting multiple meal distribution sites and the nonprofit’s headquarters in St. Anthony. The raids represented the largest coordinated law enforcement operation in Minnesota history, involving over 200 agents from the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick following the March 19 conviction. “The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds.”

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

Federal prosecutors initially announced charges against 47 individuals on Sept. 20, 2022, nearly eight months after the raids. By late 2025, that number had grown to more than 70 defendants as investigators continued uncovering the scope of the conspiracy. Bock, 45, was convicted alongside co-defendant Salim Said, former owner of Safari Restaurant, after a six-week trial that concluded in March 2025 with guilty verdicts on all counts.

How the Fraud Scheme Operated

As founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, Bock oversaw what prosecutors described as a meticulously organized criminal enterprise that exploited relaxed federal oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had waived standard requirements for the Federal Child Nutrition Program, allowing for-profit restaurants to participate and permitting off-site meal distribution outside traditional educational settings.

Prosecutors proved at trial that Bock and her conspirators recruited individuals and entities to open fraudulent meal distribution sites throughout Minnesota. These sites submitted false meal counts and fabricated attendance rosters to the Minnesota Department of Education, claiming to have served children who never received food.

“As the Director and sole person in control of FOF, Bock was the indispensable leader of the food program fraud scheme and conspiracy,” FBI forensic accountant Pauline Roase wrote in the forfeiture filing. “She submitted all or nearly all of the claims that caused those payments to be made.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

In exchange for sponsoring these fraudulent sites, Feeding Our Future received over $18 million in administrative fees to which it had no legitimate entitlement. Bock and other nonprofit employees also solicited bribes and kickbacks from site operators, with many payments made in cash or disguised as consulting fees to shell companies. Evidence presented at trial showed Bock funneling money to her then-boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson Jr., who was photographed with luxury vehicles including a Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini.

Early Warning Signs Ignored

Minnesota Department of Education officials identified early signs of fraud as far back as July 2019, months before the pandemic began, when they noted meal claims they considered implausible. When state officials attempted to halt funding in 2020 over fraud concerns, Bock and Feeding Our Future filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination based on race, national origin, color and religion.

The discrimination lawsuit, filed in November 2020, effectively stymied the state investigation for over a year. Bock maintained connections with local politicians including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and state Sen. Omar Fateh. The Minnesota Attorney General’s office worked closely with education officials to provide evidence to federal investigators, ultimately triggering the FBI’s criminal investigation in February 2021.

Bock voluntarily dropped her discrimination lawsuit one week after federal agents raided her Rosemount home and the nonprofit’s offices in January 2022.

Jury Bribery Scandal During First Trial

The Feeding Our Future prosecution was complicated by an unprecedented jury tampering incident during the first trial in spring 2024. A juror reported receiving a bag containing $120,000 in cash with promises of more money if she voted to acquit the defendants. The juror reported the incident to authorities and was dismissed from the panel along with another juror who heard about it from a relative.

Five individuals, including three defendants from that first trial, were subsequently indicted on bribery charges. All five suspects pleaded guilty by May 2025. The incident led Judge Brasel to sequester the jury for the remainder of deliberations. Of the seven defendants in that first trial, five were convicted while two were acquitted.

Widespread Convictions and Ongoing Cases

As of late December 2025, more than 50 of the 70-plus defendants charged in the Feeding Our Future case have pleaded guilty, while seven have been convicted at trial. Abdiaziz Farah, whom prosecutors called “one of the early movers” in the conspiracy, received the longest sentence to date: 28 years in federal prison. Farah personally pocketed over $8 million and laundered money through China while purchasing real estate in Kenya that remains beyond U.S. authorities’ reach.

Mohamed Jama Ismail received a 12-year sentence in October 2024 and was ordered to pay more than $47 million in restitution. Prosecutors noted that at least $850,000 of Ismail’s stolen funds may never be recovered because it was transferred to Chinese investments and property in Kenya and Somalia. Multiple defendants remain in custody awaiting trial, and new charges continue to emerge as investigators dig deeper into the conspiracy.

Asset Recovery Falls Short of Losses

Federal prosecutors have recovered between $60 million and $75 million of the estimated $250 million stolen through the Feeding Our Future fraud, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. Approximately $30 million of recovered funds consists of cash from bank accounts, with the remainder in seized real estate and vehicles.

The $5.2 million forfeiture order against Bock includes $3.5 million in a Bank of America account seized during the investigation, her 2013 Porsche, and miscellaneous electronics, clothing, accessories and jewelry found at the Feeding Our Future office and her Rosemount home. The preliminary order, signed this week, could return the money to taxpayers after Bock’s sentencing, though no sentencing date has been scheduled.

Much of the stolen money was spent on unrecoverable expenses including luxury meals, hotel stays, designer goods and overseas investments that U.S. authorities cannot seize. Defense exhibits at trial showed cash piles, designer handbags, jewelry and luxury vehicles prosecutors linked to the fraud proceeds.

Political Fallout and Broader Investigations

The Feeding Our Future scandal has triggered intense political scrutiny and spawned investigations into other Minnesota social services programs. Federal investigators have identified potential fraud in emergency housing, autism therapy for children, home health assistance and Medicaid programs. U.S. Attorney Thompson stated that Minnesota has become “a national poster child for public corruption.”

The Trump administration froze all child care payments to Minnesota on Dec. 29, 2025, as the FBI and Department of Homeland Security investigate allegations of widespread fraud at child care centers. The funding freeze came after viral social media videos claimed to show non-operational child care facilities still receiving government funding, though the timing and verification of these claims remain disputed.

Most defendants in the Feeding Our Future case were members of Minnesota’s Somali American community, though Bock herself is not Somali. The concentration of defendants from one community has led to political tensions, with some lawmakers calling for increased immigration enforcement while Somali community leaders note that many whistleblowers who exposed the fraud also came from within the community.

Defendants Remain Jailed Pending Sentencing

Judge Brasel ordered Bock and Said to remain in custody following their March 19 convictions, expressing concern they would manipulate documents to flee the country just as they had manipulated documents to perpetrate fraud. U.S. Marshals handcuffed both defendants in the courtroom immediately after the guilty verdicts were read.

“Both defendants displayed patterns of deception over an 18-month period, and an absolute inability to comply with authority,” Judge Brasel stated when denying their release pending sentencing.

Bock’s attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, announced plans to appeal the conviction, suggesting he might hand the appeal off to another attorney. Udoibok has represented Bock since the FBI raids in January 2022. Said’s lead defense attorney, Adrian Montez, declined to comment on the verdicts.

Neither Bock nor Said has yet been sentenced, and both remain in federal custody. When sentenced, they face potentially lengthy prison terms. The wire fraud charges alone carry maximum sentences of 20 years per count, while the bribery and conspiracy charges add additional potential prison time.

How should federal programs balance accessibility during emergencies with adequate fraud prevention measures to prevent schemes like Feeding Our Future?

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10