Prosecutors seek 50-year sentence for Feeding Our Future ringleader Aimee Bock

In a filing on Monday, prosecutors in Minnesota asked the court to sentence Feeding Our Future ringleader Aimee Bock to 50 years in prison.

A jury found Bock guilty last year of multiple criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.

Bock orchestrated the largest pandemic fraud case in the country, according to prosecutors, bilking the government out of tens of millions of dollars meant to feed hungry children.

In the filing, prosecutors argued a 50-year sentence "appropriately reflects the seriousness of Bock's crimes, promotes respect for the law, provides a just punishment, and creates adequate deterrence not only to Bock, but to all other individuals who take advantage of the state and believe that they are above the law."

Bock told CBS News in January she wished she "could go back and do things differently, stop things, catch things."

 "I believed we were doing everything in our power to protect the program," she said.

Prosecutors pointed to her lack of accountability and remorse as justification for the substantial sentence, as well as allegations she leaked protected documents while in custody to minimize her role in the scheme.

The Feeding Our Future scheme ignited a firestorm around fraud in Minnesota, prompting multiple audits and investigations and eventually leading to Gov. Tim Walz dropping his bid for a third term amid repeated attacks from Republicans on the issue. President Trump and his administration have used the controversy as justification for racist attacks on the Somali community and the surge of federal agents into Minnesota, which resulted in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"Make no mistake, Bock's fraud has done great damage to the state," prosecutors wrote in the filing. "It has eroded trust in the government and raised questions about the sustainability of the state's system of social services. Her crime undermined and endangered legitimate nonprofit organizations that rely on donations and taxpayers' funds to carry out necessary and important charitable work."

Bock is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday. Dozens of others have been convicted in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme.