JONAH KAPLAN:
00:01:07
Until she was arrested in 2022, Bock led Feeding Our Future. The now infamous nonprofit signed up restaurants and caterers, many from Minnesota's large Somali community, to receive taxpayer money for providing meals to children in need. During COVID, for obvious reasons, parents were allowed to come and pick up meals. So we suddenly were able to reach more children.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:01:29
But prosecutors said it turned into something else, the nation's largest COVID-era fraud, with Bock as its mastermind. Are you the mastermind of this scheme? Absolutely not. I believe in accountability. If I had done this, I would have pled guilty. I wouldn't have gone to trial. I wouldn't have put my children and my family through what we've been through. I've lost everything.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:01:50
While Bock's attorney provided this video showing stacks of food, prosecutors say Bock and the businesses she recruited stole tens of millions of federal dollars, spending it on luxury cars, real-estate ventures, and vacations. I wish I could go back and do things differently, stop things, catch things. At that point in time, I believed we were doing everything in our power to protect the program.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:02:15
But in 2021, Bock sued the state agency that oversaw the meal program, alleging its scrutiny of Somali applicants was, quote, "discriminatory." How do you think state officials took that? Nobody wants to be labeled as being racist.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:02:29
Minnesota officials told a state watchdog the threat of legal consequences and negative media attention intimidated them into easing off. The notion that a state government is paralyzed and has to allow this level of fraud because they were afraid of what I might do in a lawsuit is preposterous. Help me welcome Amy Bock.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:02:52
In Minnesota's large Somali community, one leader called her a modern-day Robin Hood. The community deserves this. The children need this.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:03:00
In 2019, the nonprofit 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.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:03:29
Prosecutors also accused Bock of collecting bribes and kickbacks from meal-site operators. At trial, they revealed text messages where she compared Feeding Our Future to the mob. Are you a mob boss? Absolutely not. No.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:03:43
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.
JONAH KAPLAN:
00:04:03
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 her to forfeit more than $5 million in proceeds from the fraud. Minnesota officials have defended their actions, noting that it was state employees who actually first contacted the FBI about implications in the fraud scheme. So far, 78 defendants connected to Feeding Our Future-- remember, just Feeding Our Future. There are other social-service schemes at play. They have been charged. More than 60 pleading guilty or convicted at trial. Bock herself is awaiting sentencing, and she faces decades in prison. Vlad. All right, Jonah, been covering this story for a long time. As always, excellent reporting, my friend. Thank you very much.
