09-20-2022, 05:03 PM
"The director of the Feeding Our Future nonprofit and 46 other people have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a "massive scheme" to defraud the government of more than $250 million meant to feed needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger described it as the largest pandemic fraud in the country, and the charges amount to one of the largest federal fraud cases ever brought in Minnesota.
Six indictments were unsealed Tuesday that describe alleged crimes including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering and bribery. Three others connected to the scheme, charged via felony information, are expected to plead guilty, Luger said.
He described today's wave of indictments as "the first set of charges."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that the indictments "underscore the Department of Justice's sustained commitment to combating pandemic fraud and holding accountable those who perpetrate it."
Aimee Bock, executive director of Feeding Our Future, was among those indicted. Feeding Our Future, which acted as a sponsor for sites that received federal dollars to feed kids, was at the center of each indictment produced this month in the continuing investigation. The separate indictments allege schemes of up to $40 million each perpetrated by groups sponsored by Feeding Our Future that falsely claimed to feed millions of children throughout the pandemic.
https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-...600208596/
In a news conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger described it as the largest pandemic fraud in the country, and the charges amount to one of the largest federal fraud cases ever brought in Minnesota.
Six indictments were unsealed Tuesday that describe alleged crimes including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering and bribery. Three others connected to the scheme, charged via felony information, are expected to plead guilty, Luger said.
He described today's wave of indictments as "the first set of charges."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that the indictments "underscore the Department of Justice's sustained commitment to combating pandemic fraud and holding accountable those who perpetrate it."
Aimee Bock, executive director of Feeding Our Future, was among those indicted. Feeding Our Future, which acted as a sponsor for sites that received federal dollars to feed kids, was at the center of each indictment produced this month in the continuing investigation. The separate indictments allege schemes of up to $40 million each perpetrated by groups sponsored by Feeding Our Future that falsely claimed to feed millions of children throughout the pandemic.
https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-...600208596/
