Funds are available from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) who contracts with state agencies to administer the program. The CACFP is the sister program to the Free and Reduced School Lunch Programandhas been providingmeals through a variety of programs since 1968. Chao Xiong and Becky Z. Dernbach contributed reporting. 2023 A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on Minnesotas immigrant and refugee communities.. A friendship, a rivalry, a federal investigation. According to the indictment, individual sites submitted fake rosters of children they had fed using fake names and randomly generated ages. The sponsoring agency retains 10 to 15 percent of the funds as an administrative fee. The Department of Education then sent the meal counts to the federal government for compensation. I was at a cabin with my children and my parents in northern Minnesota for the week. 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. Instead, they prioritized their own greed, stealing more than a quarter of a billion dollars in federal funds to purchase luxury cars, houses, jewelry, and coastal resort property abroad.". To start, Bock calls this understanding of how the child nutrition program works a mischaracterization.. Ever. In total . The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com. The USDA then provides MDE federal reimbursement funds on a per-meal basis. Only 33 of the 2,000 names on the meal roster matched the names of students in the school district. The indictments charge Bock with overseeing a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship. Weinvite you to learn more about the food program and the financial benefit available to your program. Udoibok: I was a prosecutor before. 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. Were saying that MDE fed the federal government with bad information. Sams Club, Costco, and Aldi get by far the largest chunk of the money. If its approved, its submitted to the state for payment, and they then are essentially refunded or reimbursed their costs. Udoibok said that after seizing scores of documents during last months multiple raids, the FBI now has all of the relevant information. Its an unfortunate situation, Aimee Bocks attorney Kenneth Udoibok said when I asked him to address parents and children who relied on the food aid. RELATED | Scammers use Biden's student loan forgiveness program to steal information. While at the Port Huron Times Herald in Michigan, she covered the environment and several suburbs, and she was a columnist. Bock's attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, said the indictment "doesn't indicate guilt or innocence." No charges have been filed against Bock, Feeding our Future, or anyone else named in the search warrants. Salim Ahmed Said, 33, of Plymouth, owner and operator of Safari Restaurant. Feeding Our Future or Filling our Pockets! FEEDING OUR FUTURE is an approved sponsor that makes CACFP participation easy. These defendants exploited a program designed to provide nutritious food to needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, my client is maligned, Udoibok said. As a result of the raids last month, the FBI obtained accounting documents that Bock and Udoibok say will vindicate her and Feeding Our Future. Abdinasir Mahamed Abshir, 30, 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. . During the pandemic, when schoolsoften an important source of childrens mealsshut down, these reimbursements amounted to millions of dollars each month. Bock was one of 47 defendants accused in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, DOJ says. To keep up the ruse, the defendants allegedly submitted false invoices for food served to the children and lists of fake names to show who was fed. 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. I was not in a position to just go buy one, so I slowly acquired throughout the years the stuff that I would need. Aimee Bock started Feeding Our Future in 2016 from her kitchen table, and it quickly grew to 65 employees who speak a total of 17 languages. 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. If the allegation was there is a deposit of $310,000 in the account that is unaccounted for, thats a fair, objective statement. FBI investigates Minnesota nonprofit for allegedly misusing millions of dollars meant to feed kids, According to an FBI warrant, Feeding Our Future's federal funding grew from $3.4 million in 2019 to more than $197 million in 2021. Aimee Bock, executive director of the now-defunct Feeding Our Future, allegedly recruited dozens of individuals to open more than 200 food sites. Because as we see time and time again, our more-populated areas get the services, but those in outstate Minnesota, those outside of Wilmar, dont get the help they need. According to Sahan Journal, Bock and a former business partner and friend named Kara Lomen had a falling out when Bock accused the partner of hacking, which she denied. MDE provides those funds to the sponsoring agency who, in turn, pays the reimbursements to the sites under its sponsorship. All rights reserved. Bock said she wasnt part of the decision to hire her boyfriend. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. But Ms. Bock did the opposite . Bock and Feeding Our Future submitted these claims for reimbursement, the indictment alleges, despite knowing they were fraudulent. : The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Liban Yasin Alishire, et al. We had no convenience stores. Prosecutors say few meals were actually served. The federal guidelines say we can spend up to 15 percent of the money this way. We want to hear from you. The defendants obtained, misappropriated and laundered millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. Bock said that in 2021, Feeding Our Future completely denied 10 to 15 applications from nonprofits and partially denied countless others. 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". That means it needs to be free! At FEEDING OUR FUTURE, we are dedicated to making food program participation simple. Bock went on to work for an education trade group called Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children, where she helped child care organizations manage accreditation. 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). Her payments went out after she had made the spot checks required under law that the portfolio services were performed. It wasnt real estate. 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. I personally am passionate about making sure kids have the basic fundamentals of life, food. Federal authorities charge 48 people in Feeding Our Future investigationallegedly largest pandemic fraud in the United States.. 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations, until WED 3:00 PM CST, Clay County, Crow Wing County, East Becker County, East Otter Tail County, Hubbard County, Mahnomen County, North Cass County, Northern Aitkin County, South Cass County, South Clearwater County, South Itasca County, Wadena County, West Becker County, West Otter Tail County, Wilkin County, until WED 6:00 PM CST, Carlton/South St. Louis Counties, Southern Lake/North Shore, a fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future, A 49th person was charged on Monday, Sept. 26, MnDOT launches greater Minnesota trip planner for public transit, Richfield school fatal shooting: Man sentenced in Jahmari Rice's killing, Uvalde Foundation to investigate 3 St. Paul schools over recent violence, Wood From The Hood has gone out on a limb to reclaim urban wood for 15 years, Twin Cities woman celebrates defeat of rare brain cancer, Inver Grove Heights holds meeting on elevated levels of radium in water, Homicide victims cousin calls for more police in debate over safety at St. Paul schools, Police: Man convicted in arson trashes Caribou in Brooklyn Park, DNA test backlog in Minnesota causing problems for law enforcement, Deshaun Hill killing: Cody Fohrenkam sentenced in teen's murder, Final emergency SNAP benefits going out in March, Teen charged in shooting at event for Harding High School stabbing victim, Trans woman violently assaulted at Minneapolis LRT station, MnDOT awards 23 communities Safe Routes to School grants, 2 teens struck after getting out of car following crash on I-35 in Burnsville, Alex Murdaugh family home 'Moselle' recently for sale, now under contract, during murder trial, Minnesota weather: What to expect with more snow on the way. Many of these kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as consulting fees paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to make them appear legitimate.. Bock was just executive director of Feeding Our Future, which is under investigation for receiving millions of dollars in food aid. The lawyer told Sahan Journal that Bocks denies any wrongdoing. Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled, the government says. Asked if he had a message for the families and children who relied on the government-subsidized meals, Udoibok said, Its an unfortunate situation. Send us an email at contact@sahanjournal.com. She has more than 15 years of experience at daily newspapers. Instead of spending this money on feeding children, the search warrants allege nearly two dozen people defrauded the government and spent it on personal items like luxury cars, expensive real estate, and lavish trips. Those meals were served in the months immediately following the 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. 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. Everything was frozen. "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. The following individuals are named in the indictment United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al. That Feeding Our Future grew too fast. A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Get news and stories that illuminate the lives and experiences of Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. "These sites, created and operated by the defendants and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed.". Please enter valid email address to continue. A former teacher, Bocks full name is Aimee Marie Bock. Subscribe to our free newsletter! Meanwhile, Aimee Bock of Feeding. Bock: Unfortunately, [the Learning Journey] was something that took a decade or more to build. She did that a minimum of once a month. But the indictment charges that she actually sold a food site to Cosmopolitan Business Solutions, the parent company of Safari. Federal prosecutors arrested and charged Aimee Bock on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the federal government in a wide-ranging scheme to steal money from child nutrition programs. Whoops! Furthermore, Bock says most of the people targeted in the search warrants work for smaller, immigrant-owned food distributors, but that most of the child nutrition money that flows through Feeding Our Future actually gets spent on food from large chain stores. Reimbursed their costs Future, or anyone else named in the School district agencies to the.: the following people are named in the indictment charges that she actually sold a site... Reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color 18 million in administrative to. Submitted fake rosters of children they had fed using fake names and generated. 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