# Feeding Our Future

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 allegedly 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, 37 have pled guilty and five have been found guilty at trial, while many others await 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. The organization's tax status as a nonprofit was revoked by the IRS in February of 2020.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. 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.
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. 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. 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. The number of indicted individuals eventually reached 70.
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. 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. Several weeks later, five individuals, including three of the defendants from the first trial, were indicted on charges related to the bribery. One of those indicted for bribery had been acquitted of fraud during the trial.
In July 2024, Abdimajid Nur, one of those convicted in June in the scheme, pleaded guilty to one count of bribing a juror. By March 2025, out of 70 suspects indicted in the fraud, 37 had pled guilty and five had been found guilty at trial, while many others awaited trial. Although more than $250 million is alleged to have been stolen, only around $66 million had been recovered as of early 2025, as much of the money ended up in overseas investments which the United States cannot seize.
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. The second trial in the case began in February 2025 for Aimee Bock, the ringleader of the scheme, and eleven other defendants. On March 19, 2025, Aimee Bock was found guilty on all counts.