Feeding Our Future Ringleader Aimee Bock Gets Massive Sentence In $250M Fraud Case

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced Thursday to 41.5 years in federal prison for her role in the massive pandemic-era fraud scheme.

Bock was convicted in March after a federal jury found her guilty of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery, and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.

The case centered on federal child nutrition money that was supposed to be used to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I understand I failed. I failed the public, my family, everyone," Bock said in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel described Bock as being at the "epicenter" of the fraud, according to Axios Twin Cities.

Federal prosecutors have described the Feeding Our Future case as the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.

Prosecutors said Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $250 million in federal child nutrition funds.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Feeding Our Future grew from receiving and disbursing about $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021.

Prosecutors said the defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals through more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites across Minnesota.

Feeding Our Future also received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled, according to federal prosecutors.

Bock was convicted alongside Salim Said, a former co-owner of Safari Restaurant. Prosecutors said Said fraudulently claimed to have served millions of meals to children and received millions of dollars in federal funds.

Bock’s sentence is the longest handed down so far in the sprawling Feeding Our Future case.

At least 79 people have been charged in connection with the scheme, and 65 have been convicted, according to federal prosecutors and media reports.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a 50-year sentence for Bock. Her defense had asked for a much shorter sentence, arguing that her role had been overstated.

The investigation has continued for years since federal agents first raided Feeding Our Future and related sites in January 2022. Prosecutors have said the money was stolen from programs designed to feed children in need.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.