2023 A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on Minnesotas immigrant and refugee communities.. A friendship, a rivalry, a federal investigation. These programs include Family Child Care Homes, Child Care Centers, Emergency Shelters, Afterschool Programs, and Adult Daycare Programs. 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. Bock declined to comment as she walked through the courthouse lobby and passed through security screening to surrender herself to authorities. These rosters were fabricated and created using fake names., For example, the government contends, 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 7 and 17 into the age column of the rosters.. Bock was just executive director of Feeding Our Future, which is under investigation for receiving millions of dollars in food aid. FEEDING OUR FUTURE is an approved sponsor that makes CACFP participation easy. No. She created a contract stating the transaction involved selling a childcare center to make it appear legitimate, the indictment alleges. This is a scheme that begins with Aimee Bock and Feeding Our Future, said Andrew Luger, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, at a press conference announcing the charges against 47 suspects. Help us reach 150 new monthly sustainers by March 15. Please reload the page and try again. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Bock of course was charged this week for her role in bilking the Federal government out of hundreds of millions of dollars that should have gone to feeding hungry children during the pandemic of 2020-21. The program is operated in Minnesota through the Division of Nutrition, Health andYouth Developmentat the Minnesota Department of Education. Parents were out of work. 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. The department began scrutinizing Feeding Our Future's site applications more carefully, and denied dozens of them. Between 2018 and 2021, Feeding Our Future grew rapidly in accessing this money, from $307,000 the first year to $3.5 million in 2019, $43 million in 2020, and $198 million last year. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. The lawyer told Sahan Journal that Bocks denies any wrongdoing. A Minneapolis non-profit last week won a battle in a year-long legal fight with the Minnesota Department of Education over funding for meals for low-income children. Aimee Bock blames a feud with the Minnesota Department of Education for a federal probe into alleged misuse of food aid. Again, the meals are reimbursed. Subscribe Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. The defendants used the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota as well as property in Ohio and Kentucky, real estate in Kenya and Turkey, and to fund international travel.. Bock and Feeding Our Future submitted these claims for reimbursement, the indictment alleges, despite knowing they were fraudulent. These defendants exploited a program designed to provide nutritious food to needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh returns campaign contributions from donors tied to alleged Feeding Our Future fraud investigation. Bock: Most of the folks named in the search warrants are at the for-profit level. Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, 36, of Apple Valley, 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. When MDE denied Feeding Our Future site applications, Bock and Feeding Our Future filed a lawsuit accusing MDE of denying the site applications due to discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act., In total, the government says, Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 sites throughout the state of Minnesota and fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Help us reach 150 new monthly donors by March 15. 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. Feeding Our Future or Filling our Pockets! The CACFP is the sister program to the Free and Reduced School Lunch Programandhas been providingmeals through a variety of programs since 1968. I was not in a position to just go buy one, so I slowly acquired throughout the years the stuff that I would need. Weensure programs are easily able to receive funding to purchase nutritious meals and snacks. Omar ran the Stigma-Free Waite Park site. Abdikadir Ainanshe Mohamud, 30, of Fridley, 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. Our winter sustainer campaign is happening now! Have questions about your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or want to become a sustainer? The indictment against Bock, executive director of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, is part of a sweeping federal investigation into the alleged theft of money from two programs meant to feed mostly children in daycare and afterschool settings. Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, 39, of Minneapolis, 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 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. Heres an example of how the scheme allegedly worked. A former teacher, Bock's full name is Aimee Marie Bock. MDE spokesperson Ashleigh Norris said the department cannot comment on ongoing litigation. If its a conflict of interest, thats a whole different story. ), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. The law does not require her to sit at 200 centers and count the kids. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. The FBI didnt have enough time to investigate. I like to have a face to look at. He has been a journalist for 15 years. If its approved, its submitted to the state for payment, and they then are essentially refunded or reimbursed their costs. Chao Xiong and Becky Z. Dernbach contributed reporting. Why is nobody asking them where their profit margins went? Joey Peters is a reporter for Sahan Journal. At FEEDING OUR FUTURE, we are dedicated to making food program participation simple. The text under the video says: Thank you very much Feeding Our Future/Aimee Bock for fighting for minorities. Udoibok: Stolen, thats another objection. But the indictment charges that she actually sold a food site to Cosmopolitan Business Solutions, the parent company of Safari. Aimee Bock was one of 48 people charged in what the U.S. Attorney's office in Minnesota is calling a widespread fraud scheme involving COVID-19 funds. Because of that, my client is maligned, Udoibok said. "The company went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds to sites under its sponsorship in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021," part of the indictment read. Authorities alleged the massive fraud scheme took at least $250 million from the federal child nutrition program money that was intended to help feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. But to say stole? Investigators accused Bock, the executive director of Feeding Our Future, of receiving a $310,000 kickback from a restaurant owner involved in the scheme. At least now we know what the government position is.. 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. Documents say Bock oversaw the scheme and that she and Feeding Our Future sponsored the opening of nearly 200 federal child nutrition program sites throughout the state, knowing that the sites intended to submit fraudulent claims, "Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota," the Justice Department said in a release. Prosecutors say few meals were actually served. I havent read it yet, Udoibok said of the charging document. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. To read that all of my hard work is being twisted into something that its not is hard. Help us keep them free to read for everyone. Want more? Even if they want to say its inappropriate to hire your boyfriend to renovate your office and pay him this amount of money, Ill take that. Get news and stories that illuminate the lives and experiences of Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. Its really hard.. 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. This was a brazen scheme of staggering proportions, said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota. 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. The federal Child and Adult Care Program and the Summer Food Service Program are used to feed children and adults in daycare and afterschool organizations. Bock said the decision to hire her boyfriends company for the work came in a bidding process that saw three or four companies bid for the job. A former teacher, Bocks full name is Aimee Marie Bock. 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 Minnesota. Be as detailed as possible. Officials on Tuesday announced 47 people had been charged in connection to the scheme, including founder Aimee Bock. No charges have been filed against Bock, Feeding our Future, or anyone else named in the search warrants. Last week, the landlord of the Burnsville building listed as The Learning Journey filed an eviction lawsuit against Bock and others, alleging $30,000 in unpaid rent since October 2021. ". Before joining Sahan Journal, he worked for close to a decade in New Mexico, where his reporting prompted the resignation It was just the business and the equipment, the stuff inside of it. 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. Abdirahman Ahmed was an owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 39, Burnsville, employee of Feeding Our Future. MDE provides those funds to the sponsoring agency who, in turn, pays the reimbursements to the sites under its sponsorship. According to the department, the scheme is the largest Covid-19-related fraud uncovered by investigators to date. Bock said Feeding Our Future kept about 10% of the money it received though the nutrition programs for administrative fees, which worked out to about $19 million in 2021. I think that bad intel was intentionally provided by the Department of Education. : In the wake of nearly 50 federal indictments alleging massive fraud from a Minnesota meal program for children, the Minnesota Department of Education is hoping to recover both money and its reputation. Subscribe to our free newsletter! Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Ghedi created ASA Limited LLC, a site that received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Did you witness an incident that you think we should write about? September 23, 2022 / 11:36 AM Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Futures offices in St. Anthony, Minnesota on Jan. 31 2022. The Associate Press contributed to this report. She denied it was a kickback,. AIMEE BOCK. The following individuals are named in the indictment United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al. I personally am passionate about making sure kids have the basic fundamentals of life, food. I know he went to Vegas. The alleged fraud was simple at its foundation: Some organizations along the chain allegedly reported serving more meals than they actually served in order to receive more federal money. A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. Aimee Bock (center in a white long sleeve shirt), executive director of Feeding Our Future, leaves the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday evening with a garment draped over her head. She was an accreditation coordinator for the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children and was center director and a lead infant teacher for Knowledge Universe. 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