Aimee Bock’s Sentencing Amid $250 Million Fraud Case

Aimee Bock, former head of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, faces sentencing on Thursday in Minneapolis federal court. Bock, who led Feeding Our Future in St. Anthony, was deeply involved in a $250 million fraud case, provoking federal immigration scrutiny.

Prosecutors demand a 50-year prison term, arguing the nonprofit was a “cash pipeline” for fraud. Bock claims innocence despite last year’s conviction for conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery.

“Feeding Our Future operated like a cash pipeline, open to anyone willing to submit fraudulent claims and pay kickbacks,” prosecutors stated.

Bock’s lawyer, Kenneth Udoibok, argues for a reduced sentence of 37 months. He maintains Bock provided information to investigators and claims she was unjustly portrayed as the mastermind, blaming two co-defendants for orchestrating the scheme.

The nonprofit allegedly collaborated with a network of fraudulent partners. These included fake distribution points and falsified lists of children supposedly receiving meals. Many involved were from Minnesota’s significant Somali community, and several have been convicted over years of related food fraud cases.

Former President Donald Trump criticized Minnesota’s leadership, citing the fraud as evidence of rampant “money laundering” and using it to justify a federal immigration crackdown. Trump linked the fraud to “Somali gangs,” though most defendants, many of Somali descent, are U.S. citizens.