The woman behind the massive Minnesota pandemic fraud scandal was sentenced on Thursday to 41.5 years in prison — the longest sentence out of 60 people found guilty so far in connection with the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
Former Feeding Our Future Executive Director Aimee Bock, 45, was accused of being at the center of a scheme to steal nearly $250 million in pandemic-era federal funds meant to pay for a meals program for children, Axios Twin Cities reported.
The case, which has become the nation’s largest pandemic fraud case, put the administration of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) in the hot seat due to rampant fraud in statewide programs under his leadership.
Bock was also ordered to pay $243 million back to the federal government. After sentencing, she told Judge Nancy Brasel, “I don’t have the words to express just how horrible I feel. I know I’m responsible,” the Star Tribune reported.
Brasel reportedly said Bock perjured herself at trial and said, “This is a vortex of fraud, and you were at the epicenter.”
Bock’s sentence is slightly lower than what federal prosecutors requested, which was 50 years in prison. An attorney for Bock, who maintains her client was not aware of the fraud and is being blamed, requested just three years, according to the report.
Bock is one of nearly 80 people charged in connection with the fraud scandal. So far, more than 60 people have been convicted or pleaded guilty.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) called Bock the “mastermind” behind the scheme in a 2025 statement after her conviction. In the statement, the department said Bock had created dozens of shell companies and enrolled them in a food program to launder the funds.
The DOJ also said employees were bribed and received kickbacks for joining in the scheme, often paid as “consulting fees.”
“The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds. That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles. Today’s verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated,” then-Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said at the time.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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