All rights reserved. "This was a brazen scheme of staggering proportions," said US Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota. She has more than 15 years of experience at daily newspapers. We were growing in site numbers, we were growing in staff size. 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. I was not in a position to just go buy one, so I slowly acquired throughout the years the stuff that I would need. A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. ), ABC7 Chicago says farewell to Meteorologist Phil Schwarz, Arrest warrant issued for top NFL Draft prospect Jalen Carter, How officials cracked case of eyedrops that blinded people, Elizabeth Holmes requests new trial; key witness 'expresses misgivings,' filing says, Scammers use Biden's student loan forgiveness program to steal information. Feeding Our Future works as an administrator of this federal money for the smaller nonprofits by accepting and submitting their applications to the Minnesota Department of Education, which acts as an intermediary between Feeding Our Future and the federal government. Have questions about your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or want to become a sustainer? While at the Port Huron Times Herald in Michigan, she covered the environment and several suburbs, and she was a columnist. She appeared in court hours earlier on allegations that she embezzled federal money earmarked to feed underprivileged children. 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. The defendants went to great lengths to exploit a program designed to feed underserved children in Minnesota amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, fraudulently diverting millions of dollars designated for the program for their own personal gain. 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. lock Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan. Timeline: How feeding underprivileged children turned into a sweeping federal investigation. Authorities alleged the massive fraud scheme took. I mean, we were in lockdown. That was happening simultaneously as Feeding Our Future was growing and needed my full-time attention. For the Pioneer Press, she has covered the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, the northern Ramsey County suburbs, and weekend breaking news. Feeding Our Future would then pass the federal money down to its contractorsreligious institutions, non-profits, and other groupsthat were supposed to use the money to feed children. Everything was frozen. . I was not there. 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. Chao Xiong and Becky Z. Dernbach contributed reporting. They didnt finish the investigation before shutting the system down and publicizing it. A former teacher, Bocks full name is Aimee Marie Bock. In partnership with agencies across government, the Justice Department will continue to bring to justice those who have exploited the pandemic for personal gain and stolen from American taxpayers.. : 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. He attached a roster with the names of the children. 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. Her LinkedIn page says Bock has worked as a teacher and for a variety of other nonprofit organizations. Bock was just executive director of Feeding Our Future, which is under investigation for receiving millions of dollars in food aid. The charges against those allegedly involved include conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and bribery. No charges have been filed against Bock, Feeding our Future, or anyone else named in the search warrants. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Udoibok said that after seizing scores of documents during last months multiple raids, the FBI now has all of the relevant information. Again, that falls into the line of what these for-profit companies are doing is outside of the scope of what Feeding Our Future can mandate. Charges against a 48th person were unsealed later in the day. 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. She has to defend herself against the search warrants, and the search warrants took liberties, significant liberties, factually.. Its really hard.. MDE spokesperson Ashleigh Norris said the department cannot comment on ongoing litigation. Heres Aimee Bock. (The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. In an interview earlier this year, Bock denied stealing money and said she never saw evidence of fraud. Bock, 41, has staunchly defended herself and her organization in previous interviews with Sahan Journal. Those meals were served in the months immediately following the pandemic. She is required to do auditing and inspection of sites three times a year. 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. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete theUSDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027)found onlineat: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. Sams Club, Costco, and Aldi get by far the largest chunk of the money. 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. 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. Sahan Journal is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Minnesotan essential, nonpartisan information. 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. Subscribe to our free newsletter! Bock said she wasnt part of the decision to hire her boyfriend. 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. According to the indictment, individual sites submitted fake rosters of children they had fed using fake names and randomly generated ages. Udoibok: Stolen, thats another objection. 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. Weinvite you to learn more about the food program and the financial benefit available to your program. Four free-food nonprofits are suing the Dept. Do you have a news tip or story idea to share with us? Udoibok and Hylden left the courthouse about 11:30 a.m. without Bock. 2020by FEEDING OUR FUTURE.This institution is an equal opportunity provider. To see the system discredit his work and the work of his company and team is disgusting. Feeding our Future is hiring a Registered Dietitian to join our team. Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Futures offices in St. Anthony, Minnesota on Jan. 31 2022. Bock graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2003 with a degree in elementary education. She created a contract stating the transaction involved selling a childcare center to make it appear legitimate, the indictment alleges. But its not all good news. ". We utilize the Child and Adult Care Food Program to increase healthy food access for Minnesota's youth and seniors, "You cannot feed the hungry on statistics". . In Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) administers and oversees the Federal Child Nutrition Program. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. 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 USDAs Food and Nutrition Service administers the program throughout the nation by distributing federal funds to state governments. I personally am passionate about making sure kids have the basic fundamentals of life, food. This is a full-time salaried position. These charges send the message that the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain vigilant and will vigorously pursue those who attempt to enrich themselves through fraudulent means.. The federal guidelines say we can spend up to 15 percent of the money this way. To read that all of my hard work is being twisted into something that its not is hard. 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 . 2023 A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on Minnesotas immigrant and refugee communities.. A friendship, a rivalry, a federal investigation. She denied it was a kickback,. If its a conflict of interest, thats a whole different story. Her entry for Feeding Our Future says: We utilize the Child and Adult Care Food Program to increase healthy food access for Minnesotas youth and seniors. Judge John Guthmann of Ramsey County District Court ordered the department to pay $35,750 to Feeding Our Future and $11,750 in attorney's fees for failing to follow through on an earlier. It has been nearly two weeks since federal agents raided Aimee Bocks house, the nonprofit she runs, and several companies associated with it. We paid a fair market price. About time, given that it is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for misuse of federal aid, running into millions of dollars. This is to ensure that nonprofits are serving the right food to qualify for the federal money. We compared other centers that were sold during that same timeframe to make sure that it was a fair market value, given location, size, condition, all of that. "Feeding Our Future went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4. Only 33 of the 2,000 names on the meal roster matched the names of students in the school district. Get news and stories that illuminate the lives and experiences of Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. Anytime theres a conflict of interest, the people involved in the conflict are removed from the decision. We had no convenience stores. Im surprised that shes indicted, because I didnt think the government would charge her. Here is the moment Aimee Bock and her two attorneys arrived at the courthouse (maybe about 10:45am). READ NEXT: The Death of Queen Elizabeth II, Aimee Bock: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. But the indictment charges that she actually sold a food site to Cosmopolitan Business Solutions, the parent company of Safari. Here at FEEDING OUR FUTURE, we are driven by a single goal; making participation in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program safe and easy for our community partners. We had to build out offices. The community is tired of MDE illegally blocking access to the federal food program, Bock said. Aimee Bock is the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. About your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or to! 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