- A Minnesota jury convicted Aimee Bock of masterminding a $250 million fraud scheme related to COVID-19 relief funds. Bock, who founded Feeding Our Future, recruited others to inflate meal numbers and pocket the extra funds.
- The jury also convicted Salim Ahmed Said, a restaurant owner and co-defendant, on multiple charges, including wire fraud and money laundering.
- Gov. Tim Walz faced criticism for the scandal, but praised the prosecution for presenting strong evidence. Bock and Said will remain in state custody until their sentencing hearings.
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Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future , a nonprofit aimed at feeding hungry children in Minneapolis, was found guilty of leading one of the single largest fraud schemes against federal pandemic relief programs in the country.
COVID-19 relief funding fraud in Minnesota
The Justice Department said Bock and her co-conspirators pocketed COVID-19 relief funds instead of using them to provide meals for children in need. Prosecutors claim the group recruited dozens of others to participate in the scheme, inflating meal numbers and keeping the excess funds.
Authorities charged 70 people in connection with the scheme, including Bock and Salim Ahmed Said, the owner of a local restaurant.
A judge tried Said as Bock’s co-defendant. Authorities said he was a program sponsor for Feeding Our Future…