Minnesota fraud "mastermind" speaks from jail

As tensions spiked over the administration's immigration crackdown, we spoke with Aimee Bock from her Minnesota jail cell. To what extent do you feel responsible for what's going on? I feel guilt about every piece of this. I wish, more than anything, that I could go back and change things.

Fraud has been the pretext for the administration's Minnesota pressure campaign, and prosecutors say there is no bigger fraudster than Aimee Bock. Aimee Bock masterminded a $250-million fraud scheme.

Her now infamous nonprofit, Feeding our Future, signed up restaurants and caterers, many from Minnesota's large Somali community, to receive taxpayer money for feeding hungry kids. The community deserves this. The children need this.

While Bock's attorney provided this video showing stacks of food, prosecutors say Bock and the businesses she recruited stole millions, spending it on luxury cars, real-estate ventures, and vacations. In 2019 Feeding our Future submitted $3 million worth of meal claims. Two years later, it submitted nearly $200 million. All of a sudden, you're cutting $200 million worth of checks. How do you not see that as major red flags and keep this going? We relied on the state. We told the state, this site is going to operate at this address, this day, this time, and this number of children. The state would then tell us that's approved.

In text messages revealed in court, she compared Feeding our Future to the mob. Are you a mob boss? Absolutely not, no.

Were you personally benefiting from any of it? I collected my salary, and that was all that was collected.

Didn't federal agents find gold jewelry, cash in your closet? They found minimal jewelry. I believe it was like two pair of earrings, a bracelet, a watch. There was some cash there.

At trial, Bock took the stand, but the jury didn't buy her story. Within hours, they convicted her on all counts. Last month, a judge ordered Bock to forfeit more than $5 million in assets, proceeds that she made from the fraud. She's currently awaiting sentencing and faces up to 33 years in prison. Tony.

Jonah Kaplan for us again tonight. Jonah, thank you very much.