A federal court in Minneapolis sentenced former nonprofit leader Aimee Bock to 500 months in prison on Thursday for orchestrating a scheme that fraudulently diverted $250 million in federal funds intended to feed underprivileged children.
The 45-year-old former head of Feeding Our Future faced sentencing after prosecutors detailed a network of fake distribution sites, kickbacks, and fabricated lists of children that compromised the federal food program.
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Legal proceedings have targeted 78 defendants in connection with the overlapping fraud cases, resulting in more than 60 convictions or guilty pleas so far, according to prosecutors.
During the court proceedings, Bock expressed regret over the organization's failures. "I understand I failed.
I failed the public, my family, everyone," she said.
Government lawyers had earlier described systemic corruption within the nonprofit in court filings.
"The ripple effects of her actions are profound, immeasurable, and will have lasting consequences for both Minnesota and the nation," prosecutors wrote.
They asserted that the organization operated as a continuous cash pipeline for individuals who submitted fraudulent claims and distributed kickbacks.
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Defense attorney Kenneth Udoibok requested a maximum term of 37 months, arguing that his client assisted investigators and that two co-defendants primarily ran the scams.
Bock had previously maintained her innocence in a media interview. "If I had done this, I would've pled guilty.
I wouldn't have gone to trial. I wouldn't have put my children and my family through what we've been through.
I've lost everything," she told CBS News.
The case drew national political attention, including statements from President Donald Trump in 2025 regarding financial oversight and immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
"Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing.
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Send them back to where they came from," Trump wrote on social media, criticizing Governor Tim Walz after the fraud network was disclosed.
