We want to hear from you. Deanna Weniger covers criminal, civil and federal courts. The Minnesota Department of Education has filed a lawsuit in Ramsey County District Court against Feeding our Future and the nonprofit's co-founder and former executive director Aimee. . Her lawyer says documents seized by the FBI will prove her point, and predicts she wont be charged. : Forty-eight people have now been charged in connection to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Subscribe to our free newsletter! The indictment alleges that Bock took a $310,000 payment from Abdulkadir Salah, a co-owner of Safari Restaurant, which was a contractor with Feeding Our Future. View Aimee Bock's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Regardless of whether hes my boyfriend, I have no say. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. 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. It started immediately after we signed our lease, which I believe was in 2019 or 2020. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Investigators accused Bock, the executive director of Feeding Our Future, of receiving a $310,000 kickback from a restaurant owner involved in the scheme. It wasnt real estate. 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, the release says. 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. Individuals seeking to operate fraudulent sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future had to kickback a portion of their proceeds to Feeding Our Future employees, the indictment states. Shes met all her burden under the law. Instead, federal authorities allege, Feeding Our Future and its contractors used that money to enrich themselves. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Asked if he had a message for the families and children who relied on the government-subsidized meals, Udoibok said, Its an unfortunate situation. (The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. Bock and her attorney accuse the Minnesota Department of Education of having an ax to grind against Feeding Our Future. If they would have asked, they would have known it was from a sale of an independent business. Do you have a news tip or story idea to share with us? Asad Mohamed Abshir, 32, of Mankato, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Free and open company data on Minnesota (US) company Feeding Our Future (company number 81d2eea8-0aa5-e611-816f-00155d01c56d), c/o Legal for Good PLLC, 5353 Gamble Dr., Suite 320, St. Louis Park, MN, 55416 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. pic.twitter.com/kIrHaDdRrK. That said, the fraud allegations actually come from the FBI. This is a full-time salaried position. 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. Udoibok: Stolen, thats another objection. Bock and Udoibok stopped short of alleging the FBI conducted a bad investigation, and instead argue that the probe is incomplete and that it was disclosed to the public too early in the process. 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. Bock made her first appearance in court Tuesday afternoon, pleaded not guilty, and was released. Sahan Journal is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Minnesotan essential, nonpartisan information. We had to build out offices. The news release says: The Federal Child Nutrition Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a federally funded program designed to provide free meals to children in need. 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. But the Board approved it. The Minnesota Department of Education is committed to ensuring all children have access to meals, she said, and ensuring sponsors and sites are able to operate and feed children while meeting all U.S. Department of Agriculture program regulations.. This site claimed to have served approximately 1.6 million meals and received more than $4 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, et al. Help us keep them free to read for everyone. She denied it was a kickback,. The subscriber, such as a non-profit, applies to the USDA for funding which is handled by MDE. Schools were shut down. Investigators say Bock and conspirators created an elaborate network across the state that took advantage of COVID rules meant to help kids during the height of the pandemic, and pocketed $250 million to fund lavish lifestyles for themselves. She appeared in court hours earlier on allegations that she embezzled federal money earmarked to feed underprivileged children. Feeding Our Future's share grew to about $19 million, which its founder and president, Aimee Bock, said she spent largely on salaries for her 80 employees and supplies for feeding sites. These indictments, alleging the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme charged to date, underscore the Department of Justices sustained commitment to combating pandemic fraud and holding accountable those who perpetrate it, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in the news release. And what is that information? Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi, 32, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Baraanbur Mahadcelin ah Feeding Our Future MN Aimee Bock oo u Dagalantay Dadka laga tiro badan yahay Bock said the $310,000 was for the purchase of a childcare center called The Learning Journey that she founded years ago but never got around to opening. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bock: Unfortunately, [the Learning Journey] was something that took a decade or more to build. Online records show she lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Want more? 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.. The investigation implicated a total of 48 people across several indictments (or charging documents), including well-known local restaurateurs and former political appointees for the city of Minneapolis. Aimee Bock arrives at the federal courthouse with her attorneys, Kenneth Udoibok and Nancy Hylden. Sometimes that means reporting on allegations that some people would rather keep out of the public view. I need to see that it was cereal, that it was oatmeal, that it was something within the parameters of the meal requirements. Please enter valid email address to continue. It has scaled back significantly, but during that time, they were one of the few sources of food in that area. Bock: I think the feds are acting on bad intel. 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. Bock said she wasnt part of the decision to hire her boyfriend. ), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. A former teacher, Bock's full name is Aimee Marie Bock. 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. Do you have a news tip or story idea to share with us? He said he wouldn't comment further until seeing the indictment. In an interview earlier this year, Bock denied stealing money and said she never saw evidence of fraud. 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.. He attached a roster with the names of the children. Learn More "You cannot feed the hungry on statistics" Heinrich Heine Contact FEEDING OUR FUTURE 3055 Old Highway 8 Suite 312 Minneapolis, MN 55418 aimee@feedingourfuturemn.org Phone: 612.345.4922 Fax: 651.379.8752 Thanks for submitting! That lobby was not there. So we had parents driving in, we had staff driving to houses to deliver food. Meanwhile, Aimee Bock of Feeding. Feeding our Future is hiring a Registered Dietitian to join our team. That left me in a position where I was opening a business to serve children who were confined to their homes. They didnt finish the investigation before shutting the system down and publicizing it. We had no grocery stores on Lake Street. On Monday morning, roughly a dozen people huddled in Feeding Our Futures St. Anthony headquarters as Bock and her lawyer, Kenneth Udoibok, spoke at length about the allegations. We work with child care centers, adult care centers, emergency shelters and afterschool programs to provide nutritious meals to individuals that would otherwise have limited access.. I personally am passionate about making sure kids have the basic fundamentals of life, food. Subscribe to our channel for compelling and dramatic storytelling, award winning investigations, breaking news and information you can use. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. 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. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Forty-eight people have been charged in connection to a fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future a scheme federal officials are calling the largest pandemic fraud in the country. 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. 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. If the government said in an affidavit, Judge, theres $600,000 from Feeding Our Future to a company run by her boyfriend, they would still get the warrant. Actually come from the FBI will prove her point, and predicts she wont be charged finish... With us more than 1.6 million meals and received more than $ 4 million fraudulent. Keep bringing you and every Minnesotan aimee bock, feeding our future mn, nonpartisan information information ( e.g Learning ]! Aimee Marie Bock money to enrich themselves who were confined to their homes Dietitian to our... 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