A jury has convicted Aimee Bock, the previous executive director of Feeding Our Future, of serious crimes including wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery.
During the trial, prosecutors highlighted her central role in a major scheme that reportedly drained about $250 million from federal child-nutrition programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It was revealed that Bock approved fake meal sites and pressured program operators into filing dubious claims. Moreover, she utilized threats and falsely accused the Minnesota Department of Education of racism to avoid proper scrutiny.
Court documents indicated that more than $1 million of the fraudulent funds ended up with her long-term boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson Jr., whose extravagant lifestyle featuring luxury cars and travel was showcased during the trial.
Testimonies revealed that Bock exerted almost complete control over the approval of reimbursements, cutting payments to those operators who didn’t adhere to her demands.
Evidence presented by the Department of Justice pointed out that Bock had falsely told MDE officials that state representatives were being racist, a tactic used to keep the fraudulent funds flowing.
The Feeding Our Future probe has seen a number of individuals facing charges, with Watson not yet charged in relation to meal fraud but having tax-related issues pending.
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