AG Keith Ellison calls alleged fraud ‘breathtaking and unethical’

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison released the following statement regarding allegations of fraud against those associated with Feeding Our Future. “I congratulate the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Andy Luger on this criminal indictment. The scope of the fraud alleged by the government is astounding and unethical. The federal government has original criminal jurisdiction over this matter and because the alleged fraud involves federal funds, it is right and proper for federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges.I applaud them for that.
“As the lead charity regulator in Minnesota, my political investigation into whether Feeding Our Future violated any of Minnesota’s nonprofit or charitable organization laws is ongoing. I also continue to closely monitor the dissolution of Feeding Our Future, the which is under judicial supervision after I asked the court to oversee it.I am also proud of my office’s work representing the Minnesota Department of Education when it tried to stop the payment to Feeding Our Future in court and then first notified the federal government for the fraud, which led to today’s charges.
“I will hold bad actors accountable everywhere, no matter who they are or how well connected they may be.” By WCCO staff

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Minnesota Department of Education Statement

The Minnesota Department of Education released a statement following the indictment of nearly 50 people in the alleged Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud case. “Today’s news from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is a direct result of persistence and diligent oversight by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). As noted in the press conference by DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), MDE cooperated with federal authorities and provided them with critical information throughout their investigation.When MDE identified Feeding Our Future’s unexplained growth, MDE immediately reported these activities to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Midwest Regional Office; to the USDA Office of Inspector General, and the FBI until we could find someone who would take the alarming spending as seriously as we did. When MDE stopped the payments, Feeding our Future responded with accusations of racism and a bogus lawsuit. Because of misrepresentations by Feeding our Future in this lawsuit , a court ordered the payments to continue. “Today’s arrests will help protect the integrity of these important programs and allow the programs to continue feeding children and families in need. CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) so this does not happen again.” By WCCO staff

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‘Cheating has consequences’: Senate education committee responds to accusations

The chairman of the Minnesota Senate Education Committee issued a statement following the indictment of 47 people involved in an alleged $250 million pandemic fraud scheme. “Today’s charges make one thing clear: Fraud has consequences,” said Sen. Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes). “I want to thank U.S. Attorney Andy Luger and his team for their diligent work to hold people accountable. This is the work that the Minnesota Department of Education failed to do. As Mr. Luger stated, criminals took advantage of pandemic to make their own millions of taxpayer dollars.” Last week, Chamberlain discussed preliminary findings in the Feeding Our Future case, saying the Department of Education did not follow state and federal laws. On Tuesday, he repeated those statements. Committee Chair: MN Department of Education. “didn’t follow the laws” in Feeding Our Future fraud 00:50 “This is the largest case of COVID fraud in the country because MDE did not do its job. The fraud started and continued because MDE failed to complete due diligence on these bad actors. They may have helped the investigation, but they are also too little, too late,” Chamberlain said. Following Chamberlain’s comments last week, the MDE issued its own statement: “MDE moved quickly and repeatedly raised the issue with federal authorities until we were able to find someone who would take the alarming costs as seriously as we did.” Sen. Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood), chairman of the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee, said Chamberlain’s remarks were partisan. “The Senate DFL has always fully supported the ongoing federal investigation as well as the anticipated nonpartisan legislative auditor’s investigation that will provide thorough answers to some of these important questions,” Wiger said. “It’s unfortunate that Republicans issued a one-sided, partisan press release instead of being willing to work with all members of the committee to get to the bottom of this important issue.” By WCCO staff

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READ: Full indictment in United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al

Click below to read the full indictment in the case against Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Marie Bock and 13 others. Feeding Our Future got millions in federal money in 2020. The money is supposed to be used to feed needy children in Minnesota. Instead, investigators say it was used to buy homes, resort properties, luxury cars, jewelry and more. Investigators say the fraud took place between April 2020 and January 2022. Dozens Charged in Alleged Feeding Our Future Scam 03:21 By WCCO Staff

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Some defendants out of the country, some arrested

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said some of the defendants “are not in the country at this time.” He did not give an exact number. He said “the rest are being processed right now” and added that some have been arrested and are already due to appear in court. By WCCO staff

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VIDEO: DOJ Announces Massive Fraud Scheme

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said 47 people have been charged in connection with “the largest pandemic fraud in the United States.” The indictments announced Tuesday include six groups, all connected to the larger group Feeding Our Future — a Twin Cities nonprofit. Watch a segment below from the beginning of the press. Follow WCCO throughout the day for updates on this case. US Attorney charges 47 in “largest pandemic fraud in the United States” 04:27 …