"This was a brazen scheme of staggering proportions," said US Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota. So we had parents driving in, we had staff driving to houses to deliver food. Again, that falls into the line of what these for-profit companies are doing is outside of the scope of what Feeding Our Future can mandate. Your tax-deductible donation helps us keep bringing you and every Minnesotan essential, nonpartisan information. Did you witness an incident that you think we should write about? The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com. Feeding Our Future would then pass the federal money down to its contractorsreligious institutions, non-profits, and other groupsthat were supposed to use the money to feed children. Help us keep them free to read for everyone. Before joining Sahan Journal, he worked for close to a decade in New Mexico, where his reporting prompted the resignation Have questions about your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or want to become a sustainer? They have experience in childcare ownership. Sometimes, this prompts Feeding Our Future to reject nonprofits attempts to access child nutrition program money. That lobby was not there. Everything was frozen. Although she has not been criminally charged, she declined a new interview for this story. He attached a roster with the names of the children. Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, 39, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. At the center of the investigation are claims about how the child nutrition program works and how the participants allegedly manipulated the money for their own purposes. Her payments went out after she had made the spot checks required under law that the portfolio services were performed. The charges against those allegedly involved include conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and bribery. Bock: Most of the folks named in the search warrants are at the for-profit level. Investigators accused Bock, the executive director of Feeding Our Future, of receiving a $310,000 kickback from a restaurant owner involved in the scheme. Ghedi created ASA Limited LLC, a site that received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Shes met all her burden under the law. We invite you to learn more about the food program and the financial benefit available to your program. Why is nobody asking them where their profit margins went? Bock says whatever the for-profit food distributors do with their profit margins is outside of her authority. They submit the documentation to Feeding Our Future. Because as we see time and time again, our more-populated areas get the services, but those in outstate Minnesota, those outside of Wilmar, dont get the help they need. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. After purchasing the food site, the indictment continues, Abdulkadir submitted meal count sheets to Feeding Our Future claiming his business was feeding 1,700 children a day. This site claimed to have served more than 1.6 million meals and received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Please enter valid email address to continue. Aimee Bock arrives at the federal courthouse with her attorneys, Kenneth Udoibok and Nancy Hylden. At the time of last months FBI raids, Feeding Our Future worked with 200 nonprofitsusually independent daycare organizations and afterschool programswith the stated purpose, Bock said, of feeding 100,000 Minnesota children each day. We actually got additional services beyond the scope of what was contracted, but that money was spent legally within the realms of the program. The search warrant alleges Bocks boyfriend spent some of this money on a Las Vegas trip where he paid $21,000 on a rental car, $9,000 at Caesars Palace, $6,700 at Gucci, and $3,500 at Louis Vuitton. Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota, the release says. Sahan Journal publishes deep, reported news for and with immigrants and communities of colorthe kind of stories you wont find anywhere else. What is the program? Or call us at 612-548-4344. MINNEAPOLIS -- The founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future was released from custody earlier this week after she surrendered her passport and agreed not to travel outside of. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Luger said an unspecified number of people were arrested in the morning, but some defendants are not presently in the US. SEE ALSO | Elizabeth Holmes requests new trial; key witness 'expresses misgivings,' filing says. We had to build out offices. Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, 36, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments news release says. I personally am passionate about making sure kids have the basic fundamentals of life, food. We have to be able to operate, and we cant operate if we dont have a space. Is that a criminal act? For serving as a sponsor to Stigma-Free Willmar, Feeding Our Future received nearly $500,000 in administrative fees. Three FBI search warrant affidavits, unsealed last month in federal court, allege that Bock participated in a wide scheme defrauding the federal government of millions of dollars earmarked for feeding underserved children. Abdirahman Ahmed was an owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. 2023 A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on Minnesotas immigrant and refugee communities.. Editors note: Why Sahan Journal is reporting on alleged fraud in the federal meals program.. Aimee Bock (center in a white long sleeve shirt), executive director of Feeding Our Future, leaves the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday evening with a garment draped over her head. Bock said the decision to hire her boyfriends company for the work came in a bidding process that saw three or four companies bid for the job. Prosecutors say few meals were actually served. The program is operated in Minnesota through the Division of Nutrition, Health andYouth Developmentat the Minnesota Department of Education. She was an accreditation coordinator for the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children and was center director and a lead infant teacher for Knowledge Universe. Bock paid the money to Handy Helpers, a company run by her boyfriend, which she said did extensive and ongoing remodeling on roughly 10,000 square feet of office space in Feeding Our Futures St. Anthony headquarters. Omar ran the Stigma-Free Waite Park site. 3055 Old Highway 8Suite 312Minneapolis, MN 55418. It has scaled back significantly, but during that time, they were one of the few sources of food in that area. September 23, 2022 / 11:36 AM ), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Education was given "false assurances" that Feeding Our Future was serving the meals as claimed after the department "attempted to perform necessary oversight regarding the number of sites and amount of claims being submitted," according to the DOJ. That Feeding Our Future grew too fast. We owe our readers the truth. According to sahanjournal.com, she founded Feeding Our Future II after receiving inquiries about working with potential food sites outside of Minnesota. She has to defend herself against the search warrants, and the search warrants took liberties, significant liberties, factually.. Do you have a news tip or story idea to share with us? The defendants submitted false invoices purporting to document the purchase of food to be served to children at the sites., The defendants are also accused of submitting fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. indictment: Aimee Marie Bock, 41, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery. Charges against a 48th person were unsealed later in the day. According to prosecutors, the defendants used the proceeds of the scheme to buy real estate in Minnesota, Kenya and Turkey, luxury cars, jewelry, to fund international travel, and more. A nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for Minnesotas immigrants and communities of color. Aimee Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Sams Club, Costco, and Aldi get by far the largest chunk of the money. Want more? Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock released from custody. Asad Abshir ran the Stigma-Free Mankato site. Its still ongoing. These programs include Family Child Care Homes, Child Care Centers, Emergency Shelters, Afterschool Programs, and Adult Daycare Programs. Bock: I think the feds are acting on bad intel. But Ms. Bock did the opposite . : The following people are named in the indictment United States v. Sharmake Jama, et al: The founder of Feeding Our Future and 46 others have been charged in what federal officials are calling the largest pandemic fraud in the country. Authorities alleged the massive fraud scheme took. Instead of spending this money on feeding children, the search warrants allege nearly two dozen people defrauded the government and spent it on personal items like luxury cars, expensive real estate, and lavish trips. Learn More "You cannot feed the hungry on statistics" Heinrich Heine Contact FEEDING OUR FUTURE 3055 Old Highway 8 Suite 312 Minneapolis, MN 55418 aimee@feedingourfuturemn.org Phone: 612.345.4922 Fax: 651.379.8752 Thanks for submitting! When MDE employees pressed Bock for clarification, Bock accused MDE of discrimination and unfairly scrutinizing Feeding Our Futures sites. The founder of Feeding Our Future and 46 others have been charged in what federal officials are calling the largest pandemic fraud in the country. The indictment accuses Feeding Our Future of operating a pay-to-play scheme in which people operating fraudulent sites had to provide kickbacks and bribes to Feeding Our Future employees. Regardless of whether hes my boyfriend, I have no say. Abdirahman Mohamud Ahmed, 54, of Columbus, Ohio, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. 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