Federal prosecutors have portrayed Aimee Bock as the central figure in one of the largest fraud cases in Minnesota history a woman they say wielded extraordinary control over a sprawling network that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bock, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, has been accused of orchestrating and enforcing a massive scheme that exploited emergency pandemic rules to fraudulently claim reimbursement for meals that prosecutors say were never served. At its height, the operation allegedly funneled nearly $250 million in federal funds through meal sites largely concentrated in Minneapolis’ Somali community, though later filings suggest the true figure may approach $300 million.
While many defendants in the case have been accused of spending lavishly on luxury homes, expensive cars, designer goods and overseas property, prosecutors argue that Bock’s role was more strategic. Rather than serving as a conspicuous spender, they say she functioned as the scheme’s gatekeeper the person who approved meal sites, certified reimbursement claims and ultimately controlled who got paid and who did not.
From small nonprofit to powerful sponsor
Feeding Our Future was founded in 2016 and initially operated on a modest scale, managing only a few million dollars per year in federal child nutrition reimbursements. According to prosecutors, the nonprofit’s annual volume hovered between $3 million and $4 million for several years without raising red flags.
That changed dramatically in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic triggered sweeping emergency changes to federal nutrition programs. Oversight requirements were loosened to allow meal providers to operate with minimal in-person verification, creating what prosecutors have described as a perfect environment for fraud.
As executive director, Bock was responsible for approving meal sites and certifying their reimbursement claims before they were submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), which administered the federal funds. Prosecutors allege she used that authority to approve dozens of fake or grossly inflated meal sites, many of which reported serving impossibly high numbers of children.
At its peak, Feeding Our Future claimed to have served more than 91 million meals a staggering increase that far exceeded the nonprofit’s staffing capacity and historical activity.
“She was like God,” witness tells jury
One of the most striking moments of the trial came when cooperating witness Hanna Marekegn described the power Bock allegedly wielded over meal site operators.
“Aimee Bock was a God,” Marekegn testified, according to court records.
Marekegn, who ran a meal site called Brava Café, told jurors that Bock had near-total control over whether operators received reimbursement payments. If site operators refused to submit the inflated meal counts demanded by Feeding Our Future or declined to pay kickbacks they risked being cut off entirely.
Other witnesses echoed that testimony, saying they understood that compliance was not optional. Operators described a system in which refusing demands meant financial ruin.
“If I say no, I’m not getting any more money,” testified Qamar Hassan, who operated S&S Catering.
Prosecutors allege that kickbacks flowed through intermediaries connected to Feeding Our Future, creating a culture where bribes were treated as a cost of doing business.
Accusations of “fake” racism claims
According to prosecutors, Bock also used accusations of racism as a tool to deflect scrutiny and silence regulators. When officials at the Minnesota Department of Education began questioning suspicious claims in 2021, Feeding Our Future responded aggressively.
The nonprofit sued the state, alleging racial discrimination against Somali-run meal sites. A judge ultimately issued an injunction preventing MDE from terminating Feeding Our Future as a sponsor, forcing the state to continue processing reimbursements.
Prosecutors argue that this legal maneuver allowed the fraud to expand even further.
One government slide presented at trial bluntly stated that Bock “lied to MDE and falsely accused state officials of racism to keep the money flowing.”
Emails and internal communications introduced as evidence showed Feeding Our Future repeatedly framing oversight efforts as racially motivated attacks, a strategy prosecutors say intimidated regulators who feared being labeled discriminatory.
Implausible numbers and concentrated sites
The scale of the alleged fraud became especially apparent when prosecutors highlighted geographic anomalies. At one point, Feeding Our Future approved 21 meal sites within a 1.8-mile stretch of Lake Street in Minneapolis.
Together, those sites claimed to serve as many children as were enrolled in the entire Minneapolis school district.
Bock defended the concentration of sites during her testimony, arguing that damage from the George Floyd riots had created a “food desert” that justified the high volume of meal distribution. Prosecutors, however, dismissed that explanation as implausible given the numbers involved.
Money, luxury and proximity to wealth
Unlike many co-defendants, Bock was not accused of personally purchasing mansions or exotic cars. Prosecutors acknowledged that her personal spending appeared restrained compared to others in the network.
However, court records show that more than $1 million flowed to Bock’s longtime boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson Jr. Exhibits introduced at trial showed Watson posing with luxury vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and a Lamborghini, alongside images of designer handbags, jewelry and stacks of cash.
One photo showed Watson inside a Rolls-Royce with Bock standing nearby an image prosecutors used to illustrate her proximity to the wealth generated by the scheme, even if she was not the direct purchaser.
The only direct financial transaction tied to Bock herself was evidence showing her withdrawing $30,000 in cash from a bank. Prosecutors argued this was proof she accepted cash kickbacks in exchange for approving fraudulent meal sites and reimbursements.
Witnesses testified that Bock even warned some participants not to spend their money too visibly, cautioning them against drawing attention.
Verdict and broader fallout
A federal jury ultimately found Bock guilty on all counts she faced, including wire fraud, conspiracy and bribery. Her co-defendant, Salim Said, was also convicted on multiple charges, including money laundering.
The investigation remains one of the largest fraud cases ever prosecuted in Minnesota. At least 78 people have been indicted so far, with more cases still pending.
Watson has not been charged in the Feeding Our Future case itself, but he faces separate tax-related felony charges for allegedly underreporting income and failing to file tax returns. He is currently being held in Anoka County jail on an unrelated probation violation.
A scandal still unfolding
Prosecutors say the Feeding Our Future case highlights how emergency pandemic policies designed to help vulnerable children were instead exploited on a massive scale. They also argue it exposes how fear of political and racial backlash allowed fraud to flourish unchecked.
As sentencing approaches and additional defendants await trial, the case continues to reverberate through Minnesota’s political and nonprofit communities, raising difficult questions about oversight, accountability and the cost of misplaced trust.