One of the reasons I was personally shocked when Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate was the rampant fraud that had been exposed in the state during the COVID pandemic.
Feeding Our Future led the fraud scheme, with nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in fraud found in the state.
Last week, FBI Director Patel touted the massive number of convictions the DOJ has secured in the case.
In March, major news broke regarding the scandal. The DOJ had announced, “Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children.
“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.”
The FBI’s special agents in charge of the MN office added, “Stealing from the federal government is stealing from the American people - plain and simple. The egregious fraud uncovered in the Feeding our Future case represents the blatant betrayal of public trust. These criminals stole hundreds of millions in federal funding meant to feed hungry children during a crisis and instead funneled it into luxury homes, cars and lavish lifestyles while families struggled.
“The FBI will not allow criminals to rob federal programs and walk away unscathed. We will expose their schemes, dismantle their networks, and ensure they face the full weight of justice.”
From the outset of the scandal, Matt Sepic of Minnesota Public Radio had been covering the story.
During a recent interview, he stated, “Well, A, it involved two programs that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has operated since the late 1960s to provide food to kids from low-income families enrolled in after-school and summer activities. When COVID forced kids to stay home, the USDA allowed restaurants to participate in the food programs. Investigators say this and other rule changes, combined with lax government oversight, gave the conspirators an opportunity to get rich.
“Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and former restaurant owner Salim Said are among 70 defendants charged in the case. Prosecutors say the group set up hundreds of fake meal distribution sites.
“They used these to submit phony reimbursement claims replete with falsified invoices and attendance rosters listing fictitious children. Over 18 months, the group claimed to have served 92 million meals and collected nearly a quarter billion dollars.”
A total of 70 people have been indicted in the scheme that took place on Walz’s watch, but the story itself is getting very little attention in the media, so it was a bit of a surprise to see how much attention was paid to the case when Patel gave an update late last week.
He stated, "Stealing over $250 million from hungry kids during a pandemic to fund mansions and luxury cars is as shameless as it gets. I’m proud of the FBI and our partners for dismantling this web of corruption, holding dozens accountable, and sending a clear message: if you exploit the most vulnerable, we will find you and bring you to justice."
This was not a small scandal, with more than 300 alleged food locations being used to perpetrate the fraud. Yet Walz was oblivious to all of it.
That, however, is likely why we are only really finding information about this in local publications, Fox News, and directly from the DOJ website. Walz is still considered a prominent Democrat who may decide to run in 2028, and the mainstream media would not dare hurt his profile over a scandal. Now, just think how the media would have reacted if something like this took place in Texas with Governor Abbott or down in Florida with Governor DeSantis.
