{"id":268,"date":"2025-03-20T10:59:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/feeding-our-future-founder-aimee-bock-found-guilty-in-pandemic-fraud-trial\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T10:59:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:59:33","slug":"feeding-our-future-founder-aimee-bock-found-guilty-in-pandemic-fraud-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/feeding-our-future-founder-aimee-bock-found-guilty-in-pandemic-fraud-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock found guilty in pandemic fraud trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-video embed--type-content_video is-video embed--float-none embed--size-medium is-hero\">\n<div class=\"embed__content-wrapper\">\n<link rel=\"preload\" as=\"image\" 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class=\"lazyload embed__frame\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" id=\"jury-finds-feeding-our-future-founder-aimee-bock-guilty-in-massive-pandemic-fraud-trial--hero\" title=\"Video: Jury finds Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock guilty in massive pandemic fraud trial\" data-sort-time=\"1742415580000\" data-update-time=\"1742415580000\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <button class=\"player-overlay__button--icon-close__mobile\" data-target=\"\" aria-label=\"Close sticky player\"><br \/>\n        <svg class=\"player-overlay__button--icon\">\n          <use xlink:href=\"#player-icon-close\"\/>\n        <\/svg><br \/>\n      <\/button><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n                              <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/video\/jury-finds-feeding-our-future-founder-aimee-bock-guilty-in-massive-pandemic-fraud-trial\/\" class=\"embed__headline-link\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>          <span class=\"embed__icon\"><br \/>\n            <svg viewbox=\"0 0 32 32\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n              <use xlink:href=\"#icon-video\"\/>\n            <\/svg><br \/>\n          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <span class=\"embed__headline\">Jury finds Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock guilty in massive pandemic fraud trial<\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <span class=\"embed__video-duration\">02:28<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                      <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A jury delivered a string of guilty verdicts Wednesday afternoon in what prosecutors call the <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/live-updates\/u-s-attorneys-office-announces-covid-related-fraud-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">largest pandemic fraud case in the country<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>The jury heard <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/feeding-our-future-aimee-bock-closing-arguments\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">closing arguments<\/a><\/span> Tuesday against accused Feeding Our Future ring leader <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/feeding-our-future-aimee-bock-trial-begins\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Aimee Bock<\/a><\/span> and her co-defendant Salim Said. The pair were accused of taking tens of millions of dollars meant to feed hungry children.<\/p>\n<p>The jury began deliberating Wednesday and, within about five hours, reached guilty verdicts on multiple criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Every count the jury considered came back with a guilty verdict.<\/p>\n<p>The judge ruled that they remain in custody, saying that because their &#8220;fraud scene was premised on deception,&#8221; the court had concerns they would use similar tactics to flee.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Both displayed patterns of deception and an absolute inability to comply with authority,&#8221; the judge said.<\/p>\n<p>Said owned and operated Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent funds. Prosecutors say it was a team effort, alleging that Said devised fake meal counts, rosters and invoices and Bock submitted them to the state department for funding.<\/p>\n<p>The pair &#8220;worked together every step of the way to carry out this fraud scheme,&#8221; said Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Jacobs &#8220;and they both got rich doing it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Bock&#8217;s attorney disputed that, maintaining she wasn&#8217;t aware of any fraud happening. Said&#8217;s attorney argues others took his legitimate business and corrupted it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before closing arguments, prosecutors questioned Said on his &#8220;lavish&#8221; spending on real estate, clothing and more. He didn&#8217;t deny the spending, but repeatedly told prosecutors that he spent money he earned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bock and Said are two of 70 people charged in the scheme. Roughly 30 others have pleaded guilty and <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/verdict-feeding-our-future-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">five others were convicted<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, a separate Feeding Our Future defendant admitted to witness tampering in connection with a\u00a0<span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/feeding-our-future-bribery-case-charges-announced\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">$120,000 bribery attempt<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of a juror. Documents say Ladan Ali flew in from Seattle in May 2024 and <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/feeding-our-future-bribery-dui\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">followed a juror home<\/a><\/span> after the first day of closing arguments, and then two days later handed a bag containing the cash to the juror&#8217;s relative and told them there would be more if the juror voted to acquit all the defendants.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation \">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">More from CBS News<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>    <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/jonah-kaplan\/\" class=\"content-author__name\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Jonah Kaplan<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author__bio\">\n<div class=\"content-author__image\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/jonah-kaplan\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\"><br \/>\n              <span class=\"img \"><img alt=\"web-jonah-kaplan-1.jpg \" height=\"80\" width=\"80\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/11\/26\/e46cebd1-9686-4b12-8849-06ed3a7941cf\/thumbnail\/80x80\/b9bb393b4c46577d32be80927ec8cd44\/web-jonah-kaplan-1.jpg?v=765ef194a4bf4701e45ec9d5712af42f 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2024\/11\/26\/e46cebd1-9686-4b12-8849-06ed3a7941cf\/thumbnail\/160x160\/8ea8677ea14743edfbb5bbd0ef82d337\/web-jonah-kaplan-1.jpg?v=765ef194a4bf4701e45ec9d5712af42f 2x\"\/><\/span><br \/>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"content-author__full-information\">\n<p class=\"content-author__text\">Jonah Kaplan is WCCO and CBS News Minnesota&#8217;s investigative reporter and has built a strong reputation for his balanced and in-depth coverage of high-impact issues including the economy, immigration, education, public safety, and the military, among others.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jury finds Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock guilty in massive pandemic fraud trial Jury finds Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock guilty in massive pandemic fraud trial 02:28 A jury delivered a string of guilty verdicts Wednesday afternoon in what prosecutors call the largest pandemic fraud case in the country. The jury heard closing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-268","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-political-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions\/270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}