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Feeding Our Future was a Minnesota nonprofit founded in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it claimed to distribute many thousands of meals to schoolchildren, but instead stole hundreds of millions of dollars while providing few or no meals at most of its locations. Merrick Garland, attorney general during the Biden administration, called it the country’s largest pandemic relief fraud scheme.[2]
Although the state agency responsible for monitoring the school meal program repeatedly tried to cut off funds, the organization was not shut down until FBI raids and federal indictments in 2022. As of early 2026, out of 80 suspects indicted in the fraud, 62 had pled guilty. Another seven individuals were found guilty at trial, including the leader of the scheme, Aimee Bock, while others awaited trial. Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years imprisonment.
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And another...
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History
The organization was founded by Aimee Bock in 2016, and repeatedly applied for grants from the state of Minnesota, but was rejected due to allegations of mismanagement and abuses.[1] In July 2019, months before the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) officials identified early signs of fraud, including meal claims they considered implausible. According to former state employees, Bock pressured workers who raised questions within weeks of the organization's first submissions, and officials began documenting her "concerning behavior". Before the pandemic, Feeding Our Future billed the state for approximately $3.4 million.[6] The organization's tax status as a nonprofit was revoked by the IRS in February 2020.[1]
After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and a large increase in the amount of federal aid available, Feeding Our Future applied to receive funding to provide meals to school children, as schools were closed.[1][7] Some experienced MDE employees, suspicious of potential fraud, sought to conduct investigation of meal sites. The employees felt that their efforts were stymied by MDE leadership, which they described reluctant to take action for fear of litigation.[8] MDE began giving the organization substantial grants after Feeding Our Future threatened legal action against the state.[1][7] Katherine Theisen, a senior employee of Minnesota's Office of the Legislative Auditor, later described MDE's response as "a systemic failure."[8] The MDE eventually raised concerns of fraud with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the FBI began investigating in February 2021.[1][7]
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Minnesota...under Gov. Walz...took legal action against FOF long before DJT's return to the WH...and secured indictments against the perpetrators.