Feeding Our Future
{{Short description|Defunct Minnesota non-profit}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Feeding Our Future
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| established = 2016
| type = Nonprofit 501(c)(3) until 2020
| focus = Hunger relief
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| dissolved = 2022
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Feeding Our Future was a non-profit organization based in Minnesota. It claimed to distribute many thousands of meals to schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic, but stole hundreds of millions of dollars while providing few or no meals at most of its locations. As of early 2025, out of 70 suspects indicted in the fraud, 38 had pled guilty. Another seven individuals were found guilty at trial, including the leader of the scheme, Aimee Bock, while many others awaited trial.
History
The organization was founded in 2016, and repeatedly applied for grants from the state of Minnesota, but was rejected due to allegations of mismanagement and abuses.{{Cite web |last=Derosier |first=Alex |date=2024-10-20 |title=Feeding Our Future fraud led to new grant controls, little progress recovering stolen money |url=https://www.twincities.com/2024/10/20/feeding-our-future-fraud-led-to-new-grant-controls-little-progress-recovering-stolen-money/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120133010/https://www.twincities.com/2024/10/20/feeding-our-future-fraud-led-to-new-grant-controls-little-progress-recovering-stolen-money/ |archive-date=20 November 2024 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Twin Cities Pioneer Press |language=en-US}} The organization's tax status as a nonprofit was revoked by the IRS in February of 2020. After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and a large increase in the amount of federal aid available, Feeding Our Future applied to receive funding to provide meals to school children, as schools were closed.
Although the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) knew of issues with Feeding Our Future, it began giving the organization substantial grants after Feeding Our Future threatened legal action against the state.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Kelly |date=2024-06-13 |title=Report: Minnesota Department of Education's 'inadequate oversight' of Feeding Our Future opened door to fraud |url=https://www.startribune.com/did-minnesota-department-of-education-do-enough-to-stop-feeding-our-future-fraud-legislative-auditor-report-to-be-released-thursday/600373216 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune |language=en |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909131550/https://www.startribune.com/did-minnesota-department-of-education-do-enough-to-stop-feeding-our-future-fraud-legislative-auditor-report-to-be-released-thursday/600373216 |url-status=live }} Ultimately, after MDE began delaying responses to Feeding Our Future's grant applications, the organization sued the state in November 2020, arguing that it was being discriminated against. Around the same time, the MDE raised concerns of fraud with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the FBI began investigating in February of 2021. Federal prosecutors allege that only around 3% of the funding granted to Feeding Our Future meal sites was spent on food, while the remainder was funneled to the individual conspirators involved in the fraud.{{Cite web |last=Meitrodt |first=Jeffrey |date=2025-03-28 |title=How much of the $250 million in taxpayers’ money will Feeding Our Future fraud case recover? Prosecutors hope to recoup ‘millions’ more |url=https://www.startribune.com/how-much-of-the-dollar250-million-in-taxpayers-money-will-feeding-our-future-fraud-case-recover-prosecutors-hope-to-recoup-millions-more/601246451 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Star Tribune |language=en}} At its peak, the organization listed 299 "meal sites", which purported to have served 90 million meals in less than 2 years (more than 120,000 meals per day). One site surveilled by the FBI claiming to serve 6000 meals per day actually averaged around 40 visitors.{{Cite web |last=Sepic |first=Matthew |date=2025-02-12 |title=Feeding Our Future by the numbers: 4.4M documents, 90M meal claims and 1,200 subpoenas |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/02/12/feeding-our-future-by-the-numbers |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=MPR News |language=en}}
Meanwhile, in December 2020, MDE denied Feeding Our Future's ongoing grant applications and labeled the organization "severely deficient", leading to an attempt by MDE to terminate the partnership fully.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Kelly |date=2022-09-24 |title=Feeding Our Future charges lead to dispute over 2021 case |url=https://www.startribune.com/walz-calls-for-review-of-fraud-after-feeding-our-future-charges/600209724 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241108013805/https://www.startribune.com/walz-calls-for-review-of-fraud-after-feeding-our-future-charges/600209724 |url-status=live }} Feeding our Future sued the state in response. Minnesota judge John Guthmann found in the spring of 2021 that there was no legal basis for stopping payments, and informed MDE that there could be a "real problem" if it did not resume processing Feeding Our Future's grant applications, although he did not formally order MDE to resume giving grants. Several months later, Guthmann held MDE in contempt of court for processing grant applications slowly and ordered the state agency to pay a fine of $47,500 to Feeding Our Future.
Federal charges and legal consequences
In January of 2022, the FBI raided a number of Feeding Our Future "meal" locations and the nonprofit was disestablished shortly thereafter. That fall, members of the organization were accused of defrauding the state's USDA-funded school nutrition programs of at least $250 million over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, led by the organization's president, Aimee Bock.{{Cite news |last=Almanac |author-link=Almanac (American TV series) |date=23 September 2022 |title=Feeding our Future, Attorney General race, opioid crisis |url=https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/feeding-our-future-attorney-general-race-opioid-crisis-39730/ |work=KTCA-TV |publisher=Twin Cities PBS |type=Weekly news and public affairs broadcast |volume=2023, Episode 4 |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605222508/https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/feeding-our-future-attorney-general-race-opioid-crisis-39730/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last1=Montemayor |first1=Stephen |last2=Meitrodt |first2=Jeffrey |date=September 21, 2022 |title=Feeding Our Future founder among 48 people charged in $250 million federal food aid fraud scheme |url=https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-future-nonprofit-children-food-aid-fraud-charges-indictment-minnesota/600208596/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605054752/https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-future-nonprofit-children-food-aid-fraud-charges-indictment-minnesota/600208596/ |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |access-date=June 5, 2024 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune}} On September 20, 2022, the U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced federal charges against 47 former Feeding Our Future employees for their involvement in the nation's largest pandemic-related fraud scheme.{{Cite press release |date=September 20, 2022 |title=U.S. Attorney Announces Federal Charges Against 47 Defendants in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-attorney-announces-federal-charges-against-47-defendants-250-million-feeding-our-future |access-date=October 19, 2022 |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |archive-date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018025305/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-attorney-announces-federal-charges-against-47-defendants-250-million-feeding-our-future |url-status=live }} The number of indicted individuals eventually reached 70.{{Cite web |last=Sepic |first=Matt |date=16 October 2024 |title=Judge warns ex-Feeding Our Future boss to follow release rules |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/16/judge-warns-exfeeding-our-future-boss-to-follow-release-rules |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201134915/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/16/judge-warns-exfeeding-our-future-boss-to-follow-release-rules |archive-date=1 December 2024 |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=MPR News |language=en}}
In the spring of 2024, a group of seven individuals were the first to go to trial. Near the end of the trial, an attempt was made to bribe a juror to vote to acquit with $120,000 in cash.{{Cite news |last1=Fahrenthold |first1=David A. |last2=Londoño |first2=Ernesto |date=June 3, 2024 |title=A Mazda, a Gift Bag of $120,000 and a Dismissed Juror |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/us/jury-bribe-feeding-our-future-fraud.html |access-date=June 5, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605222511/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/us/jury-bribe-feeding-our-future-fraud.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=June 3, 2024 |title=Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she'll acquit |url=https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-feeding-our-future-pandemic-fraud-73610b59bb60bf33f2aa06063bb592d2 |access-date=June 5, 2024 |website=Associated Press |language=en |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604222007/https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-feeding-our-future-pandemic-fraud-73610b59bb60bf33f2aa06063bb592d2 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last1=Montemayor |first1=Stephen |last2=Smith |first2=Kelly |date=June 26, 2024 |title=New charges: Feeding Our Future juror was followed for days, given list of instructions with $120k in cash to acquit |url=https://www.startribune.com/new-charges-feeding-our-future-juror-was-followed-for-days-given-list-of-instructions-with-120k-in-cash-to-acquit/600376357/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626170529/https://www.startribune.com/new-charges-feeding-our-future-juror-was-followed-for-days-given-list-of-instructions-with-120k-in-cash-to-acquit/600376357/ |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune}} The juror reported the incident and was dismissed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, along with another who heard about the incident from a relative. The jury was sequestered for the remainder of the trial. Of the first seven defendants, five were convicted on most charges against them, while two were acquitted.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Kelly |date=June 7, 2024 |title=Jury finds five of seven defendants guilty in Feeding Our Future trial |url=https://www.startribune.com/verdict-in-feeding-our-future-trial-coming-at-1-pm/600371860/ |access-date=June 8, 2024 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune}} Several weeks later, five suspects, including three of the defendants from the first trial, were indicted on charges related to the bribery. One of the individuals indicted for bribery had been acquitted of fraud during the trial. Three of the five suspects in the bribery case had pleaded guilty as of March 2025.{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Sarah |date=2025-04-02 |title=Brother of Feeding Our Future defendants pleads guilty for role in juror bribe |url=https://www.startribune.com/brother-of-feeding-our-future-defendants-pleads-guilty-for-role-in-juror-bribe/601316510 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Star Tribune |language=en}}
A federal court handed down the first sentence on October 15, 2024. Mohamed Ismail received a 12 year sentence; two of the three counts involved conspiracy. He was ordered to pay more than $47 million in restitution.{{Cite web |last=Sepic |first=Matt |date=2024-10-15 |title=First Feeding Our Future defendant sentenced gets 12 years |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/15/first-feeding-our-future-defendant-sentenced-gets-12-years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119100214/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/15/first-feeding-our-future-defendant-sentenced-gets-12-years |archive-date=19 November 2024 |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=MPR News |language=en}} The second trial in the case began in February 2025 for Aimee Bock, the ringleader of the scheme, and a leading co-conspirator, Salim Said.{{Cite web |last=Meitrodt |first=Jeffrey |date=2025-02-10 |title=‘Relentless’ fraudster or victim? Trial of Feeding Our Future leader opens with competing stories |url=https://www.startribune.com/relentless-fraudster-or-victim-trial-of-feeding-our-future-leader-opens-with-competing-stories/601220024 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=www.startribune.com |language=en |archive-date=February 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211044140/https://www.startribune.com/relentless-fraudster-or-victim-trial-of-feeding-our-future-leader-opens-with-competing-stories/601220024 |url-status=live}} On March 19, 2025, Bock and Said were both found guilty on all counts.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Feeding Our Future head Aimee Bock convicted on all fraud charges |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/03/19/feeding-our-future-head-aimee-bock-convicted-on-all-fraud-charges |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=MPR News |language=en}} On March 24, 2025, Abdihakim Ali Ahmed pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. He was the 45th person to be convicted.[https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/abdihakim-ahmed-guilty-plea-feeding-our-future/ Another person pleads guilty in Feeding Our Future fraud], CBS News, March 24, 2025
By March 2025, out of 70 suspects indicted in the fraud, 38 had pled guilty and seven had been found guilty at trial, while many others awaited trial. Although more than $250 million is alleged to have been stolen, only around $75 million had been recovered as of early 2025, as much of the money was spent on unrecoverable expenses like luxury meals and hotels, or was transferred to overseas investments which the United States cannot seize.