The founder of a notorious Minnesota nonprofit convicted of orchestrating a $250 million welfare fraud scheme was ordered by a federal judge last week to forfeit her Porsche, designer handbags, and millions of dollars in illegally obtained funds.
Aimee Bock, 44, the central figure behind the Feeding Our Future scandal, was convicted in March on federal charges including wire fraud, bribery, and conspiracy in what prosecutors have described as the largest COVID-19 relief fraud scheme in U.S. history.
Court Exhibits Detail Bock’s Luxury Assets
Bock, who is awaiting sentencing for her leading role in the scandal, was convicted alongside dozens of co-conspirators accused of siphoning pandemic relief funds from a federal program intended to provide meals to low-income children.
On Dec. 30, a federal judge issued a preliminary forfeiture order requiring Bock to surrender a staggering amount of cash and high-end personal property.
Under the order, Bock must forfeit approximately $5.2 million from her nonprofit’s bank accounts, a Porsche Panamera, roughly 60 laptops, iPads, and iPhones, as well as a diamond necklace, bracelet, and earrings. The forfeiture also includes a Louis Vuitton purse and backpack, according to multiple reports.
Bock stole pandemic relief funds from a federal program designed to provide meals to children in need.
The Justice Department has secured convictions against 57 people and charged a total of 78 defendants in connection with the Feeding Our Future scandal.
According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, 72 of the defendants are of Somali descent, and five remain fugitives believed to be in Africa.
The Justice Department has convicted 57 people and charged a total of 78 defendants in connection with the Feeding Our Future scandal.
Beyond purchasing luxury vehicles and designer goods, defendants are accused of sending “millions of taxpayer dollars in fraud proceeds” to East Africa and the Middle East, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi said last month that the estimated total cost of the fraud could reach as high as $400 million.
Prosecutors have recovered approximately $75 million of the stolen funds, according to reporting by the Daily Mail.
The case returned to national attention after former President Donald Trump publicly criticized what he described as widespread fraud tied to Somali nationals in Minnesota, while independent journalist Nick Shirley reported on child care centers in the state that he suggested may have been fraudulent operations.
