Aimee Bock, the founder of the Minnesota non-profit Feeding Our Future, has been sentenced to nearly 42 years in prison for orchestrating what prosecutors have called the largest pandemic fraud scheme in the United States. The sentence was handed down in federal court on Thursday for a $250 million plot that exploited federal child nutrition programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors had sought a 50-year term, arguing that Bock's crimes—including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery—stole funds intended to feed children and caused profound damage. In court, Bock said: 'I understand I failed. I failed the public, my family, everyone.' She added: 'I don’t have the words to express just how horrible I feel … I know I’m responsible.'
The scheme involved a network of partner organisations, phoney distribution sites, kickbacks and fake lists of children supposedly being fed. Dozens of people, many from Minnesota's Somali community, have been convicted in related cases. Bock was convicted last year on multiple counts and had previously maintained her innocence.
Assistant US Attorney Rebecca Kline said Bock 'didn’t participate in fraud, she orchestrated it, profited from it' and acted as a 'gatekeeper'. The case became a flashpoint in Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, leading to violent demonstrations and the deaths of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during an ICE operation.
Separately, authorities filed additional charges this week against others in a broader investigation into federal social service spending in Minnesota. These include Fahima Mahamud, CEO of a childcare centre, accused of receiving $4.6 million in improper reimbursements, and two individuals charged with conspiring to obtain $975,000 in Medicaid subsidies for housing services not provided.
