Daijiworld Media Network – Minneapolis
Minneapolis, May 21: US prosecutors have sought a 50-year prison sentence for Aimee Bock, the former head of Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future, who was convicted in connection with a massive $250 million fraud scheme linked to pandemic food aid programmes.
Bock is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday in federal court in Minneapolis.
According to prosecutors, Feeding Our Future operated as the centre of a widespread fraud network that falsely claimed to provide millions of meals to children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Feeding Our Future operated like a cash pipeline, open to anyone willing to submit fraudulent claims and pay kickbacks,” prosecutors stated in a court filing submitted on Monday.
They further said the impact of the fraud had caused “profound” and long-lasting damage both in Minnesota and across the United States.
Bock was convicted last year on multiple charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. However, she has consistently maintained that she is innocent.
Her lawyer, Kenneth Udoibok, argued in a separate filing that she should receive a prison sentence of no more than 37 months. The defence claimed Bock had cooperated with investigators and was unfairly portrayed as the mastermind behind the operation.
The lawyer also alleged that two co-defendants were primarily responsible for carrying out the fraudulent activities.
Federal investigators said the nonprofit sat at the top of an extensive fraud network involving partner organisations, fake meal distribution sites, forged records and kickback arrangements.
Dozens of individuals have already been convicted in connection with the overlapping fraud cases, many of whom belong to Minnesota’s Somali community. Authorities noted that most of the accused are US citizens.
The case also drew political attention during the 2024 US presidential election campaign, with President Donald Trump citing the fraud as justification for tougher immigration measures.
Trump had criticised Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and alleged that “Somali gangs” were involved in large-scale fraud operations, comments that triggered controversy and backlash.
Prosecutors, however, noted that Bock herself is white, while the majority of the convicted defendants are of Somali descent.