A federal jury’s guilty verdict has left the woman at the center of Minnesota’s largest-ever welfare fraud case awaiting sentencing — and publicly lamenting the consequences of her crimes from behind bars.
According to the New York Post, Aimee Bock, 45, the former head of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, is facing up to 33 years in prison after being convicted on all counts tied to a sprawling $250 million scheme that siphoned federal funds meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her first interview since the verdict, Bock portrayed herself as devastated by the outcome and eager to deflect responsibility.
Speaking from jail in an interview with CBS News, Bock described her conviction for wire fraud and bribery as “heartbreaking,” insisting that she had trusted state oversight and relied on approvals she says were granted by Minnesota officials.
“We relied on the state. We told the state, this [meal] site is going to operate at this address, this time, and this number of children. The state would then tell us that’s approved,” Bock said, adding that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was among officials who visited some of the meal distribution sites.
Bock oversaw Feeding Our Future as it ballooned from handling $3.4 million in meal claims in 2019 to nearly $200 million by 2021. Prosecutors said she ran a network of fraudsters — almost all Somali and East African — who exploited relaxed federal rules after legislation waiving certain requirements for school meal programs was signed during the pandemic.
Despite evidence presented at trial, Bock rejected the Department of Justice’s portrayal of her as the mastermind behind the operation. That included text messages in which she likened Feeding Our Future to the mob. She also disputed the scale of her personal enrichment.
“They found minimal jewelry,” she said of an FBI raid on her home in 2022. “I believe it was like two pairs of earrings, a bracelet, a watch. There was some cash there.”
A judge last month ordered Bock to forfeit more than $5 million, though authorities say only about $75 million of the $250 million stolen has been recovered.
“I wish I could go back and do things differently, stop things, catch things,” Bock said. “I’ve lost everything.”
At trial, her attorney argued that state officials failed to intervene because the program benefited a politically important constituency.
Omar has denied any knowledge of fraud, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has accused President Donald Trump’s administration of politicizing the case after federal authorities intensified scrutiny.
Bock’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
