How Minnesota’s fraud ‘mastermind’ allegedly wielded power to promote scheme

The alleged “mastermind” behind the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in Minnesota, linked to the Somali community, is accused of wielding extraordinary power through threats and what the government has described as “false allegations of racism.”

Aimee Bock, who founded the nonprofit Feeding Our Future in 2016, used her growing authority to silence dissent, discourage oversight from state regulators and exclude operators who refused to comply, prosecutors said.

While other defendants splurged on luxury homes, cars and properties overseas, prosecutors said Bock instead controlled the approval and reimbursement levers that allowed the scheme to flourish.

One witness even recently described Bock as a “God” in the way she enforced her authority. Court records show more than $1 million was paid to Bock’s longtime boyfriend, who appeared during the trial posing inside a Rolls-Royce with Bock nearby, highlighting his alleged proximity to the wealth generated by the scheme.

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Trial evidence painted a picture of a dramatic rise, with Bock going from running a little-known nonprofit to overseeing one of the largest federal meal sponsors in Minnesota, as she gained influence, visibility and access to powerful political circles.

Aimee Bock, who founded the nonprofit Feeding Our Future in 2016, is pictured January 27, 2022 in St. Anthony, Minnesota. (Star Tribune)

For years, Feeding Our Future operated modestly, managing about $3 million to $4 million a year in federal reimbursements for child nutrition, according to prosecutors.

That trajectory changed abruptly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when changes to emergency rules relaxed oversight and allowed sponsors to submit claims without normal verification.

As executive director of Feeding Our Future, Bock approved the meal sites, some of which were fake, then certified the allegations, approving reimbursements from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).

She would soon preside over a network that claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which prosecutors say the scammers fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds — growth that far exceeded the nonprofit’s size and internal capacity before the pandemic. Subsequent filings and sentencing statements described the total impact as closer to $300 million.

To maintain the system, prosecutors said Bock used his authority to intimidate and control operators, approving implausible meal counts and eliminating those who refused to comply.

“Aimee Bock was a God,” said cooperating witness Hanna Marekegn, according to trial exhibits, which were used to describe the power Bock allegedly held over the network.

Marekegn owned Brava Café, a dining venue sponsored by Feeding Our Future.

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Government exhibit BB-51 shows Aimee Bock next to a Rolls-Royce with Empress Malcolm Watson Jr. Prosecutors said the image depicted the lifestyle surrounding the ring but did not accuse Bock of purchasing the vehicle. (Ministry of Justice)

Marekegn told jurors that Bock had the power to make operators rich – but also the ability to completely turn off the cash spigot if they did not comply with the unrealistic numbers submitted.

Prosecutors said operators of sites like Marekegn paid bribes to Feeding Our Future employees or middlemen to avoid disruption, a system that witnesses described as necessary to keep money flowing. Refusing to comply, they testified, meant losing all payments.

The operators also told jurors they understood that rejecting requests, including submitting implausible meal counts or paying bribes, would cost them their contracts and leave them with no money at all.

Qamar Hassan, who operated S&S Catering, testified bluntly: “If I say no, I don’t get any more money. »

The Justice Department also presented slides showing emails and communications in which Bock accused MDE of racism when regulators questioned suspect allegations. In 2021, when the MDE became suspicious and attempted to stop the flow of funds, Feeding Our Future filed a lawsuit, alleging racial discrimination. A judge ordered the state to restart reimbursements — a move that prosecutors say allowed the scheme to escalate.

Aimee Bock and the houses purchased with the funds (Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office; Department of Justice)

“Bock lied to MDE and falsely accused state officials of racism to keep the money flowing,” one of the slides reads.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors showed how she approved 21 meal sites along a 1.8-mile stretch of Lake Street that claimed to serve as many children as there were in the entire Minneapolis school district.

Bock testified that the concentration of sites was justified because several grocery stores in the area were damaged during the George Floyd riots.

“This large area has become what we call a food desert,” she testified, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis.

A federal jury ultimately found Bock guilty of all charges she faced, including wire fraud, conspiracy and bribery. His co-defendant, Salim Said, was also convicted on several counts, including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. At least 78 people have now been charged as part of the ongoing investigation.

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Government Exhibit S-12 shows Aimee Bock at a bank teller making a cash withdrawal of $30,000, evidence prosecutors said is linked to Count 40’s allegation of corruption and bribery. (Ministry of Justice)

Court documents revealed that many of those convicted spent their ill-gotten wealth on large homes, luxury vehicles and real estate in Kenya.

However, one witness said Bock warned recipients not to spend ill-gotten gains generously.

The only money movement directly linked to Bock in the exhibits was a photo of her making a $30,000 cash withdrawal, which prosecutors said was evidence she was involved in a kickback scheme by accepting cash payments from restaurant operators in exchange for site endorsements and refunds.

A series of reimbursement checks she signed for alleged fraud sites were also shown, evidence prosecutors say illustrates her role as a “gatekeeper” of the system, even though she is not a big personal spender.

Although prosecutors have not accused Bock of purchasing luxury mansions or cars herself, public records show that more than $1 million was paid to her longtime boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson Jr., who spent the money on trips, jewelry, vehicles and cash withdrawals.

Watson appears in some of the exhibitions. One showed him the inside of a Rolls-Royce with Bock standing next to him. He is shown in another photo standing in front of a Lamborghini, and that exhibit also shows designer bags, jewelry and a white Mercedes-Benz — items that prosecutors called “Help-Hand Expenses” to illustrate the lavish lifestyle that surrounded Bock’s network.

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Government exhibits BB-50 and BB-1 show designer bags, jewelry, stacks of cash, a photo of a Lamborghini and a white Mercedes from prosecutors labeled as “Handy Helpers Sending” to illustrate the lavish lifestyle within the network surrounding Aimee Bock. Prosecutors have not alleged that Bock personally purchased the items. (Ministry of Justice)

Watson has not been charged in the Feeding Our Future cases.

He was charged with six tax crimes in September for allegedly underreporting his income for 2020 and 2021, failing to file a return for 2022, and failing to pay the income taxes he owed for those years. Watson allegedly owed more than $64,000 in unpaid income taxes.

He is currently being held in the Anoka County Jail on a probation violation unrelated to the tax case.