MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Aimee Bock, founder of Feeding Our Future, and her accomplice, Salim Said, are in custody awaiting sentencing after being convicted on multiple federal charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery. The duo played central roles in a massive scheme that defrauded the government of $250 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds intended to feed children in Minnesota.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson stated that Bock was the mastermind of the fraud:
“She signed every single fraudulent claim that was submitted to the state of Minnesota. She cut every single check, all 240 million dollars worth of checks to every defendant in this case. She was involved in taking kickbacks. Witness after witness testified to her role in the scheme.”
Said falsely claimed to have served millions of meals to children from his Safari Restaurant food site. The case moved swiftly, with the jury reaching a guilty verdict in just five hours. Thompson noted the significance of the rapid decision:
“All I can say is the fact that they returned a verdict so quickly after such a long trial I think speaks to volumes to the job the team did and frankly the amount of evidence against the defendants and how awful their fraud scheme was.”
Bock was convicted on seven counts, while Said was found guilty on 21 counts. Their prison terms will be determined following a pre-sentencing investigation.
Despite the conviction, Bock’s attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, maintains her innocence and plans to appeal the verdict:
“I will go to my grave knowing, because I’ve reviewed the evidence, this is an innocent woman. But it’s the system we have. The jury spoke, we respect that and we will appeal.”
Udoibok also expressed shock that Bock was taken into custody immediately, arguing that she is not a flight risk and has no financial means to flee. The sentencing date for Bock and Said has yet to be announced.
