Matt Sepic

A federal jury Wednesday convicted Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and former restaurateur Salim Said on wire fraud and bribery charges stemming from a scheme to fleece taxpayers out of $250 million meant to feed children. One prosecutor called it “the shame of Minnesota.”

The prosecution contends that Salim Said played a major role in the $250 million fraud, and tried to show he profited from the association with the now-defunct Twin Cities nonprofit.

A defense witness testified at the Feeding Our Future trial on Friday that he saw large amounts of food being prepared at a Minneapolis restaurant that prosecutors say was a major player in a $250 million scheme to defraud taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs during COVID.

Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock continues to deny that she took part in an alleged $250 million scheme to defraud taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs. After taking the stand in her own defense, Bock faced rapid-fire questions during cross examination Thursday from lead prosecutor Joe Thompson.

The former head of the Twin Cities nonprofit said Wednesday she shut down meal sites she suspected were stealing taxpayer money. She also claimed in federal court the $2,800 payments from vendors were for a policy manual. Prosecutors allege they were kickbacks.

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a woman awaiting sentencing for trying to bribe a juror in the first Feeding Our Future trial to undergo regular alcohol testing after she was charged with drunk driving.

Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock on Friday tried to portray Feeding Our Future as an organization that was on the up-and-up, countering extensive prosecution evidence that it was the locus of a $250 million fraud and testimony from former board members that they had no knowledge of the organization until it came under scrutiny.

Abdulkadir Awale said that he had operated a legitimate charitable meal service before joining what prosecutors allege was a $250 million scheme to fleece taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs during the pandemic.

Qamar Hassan, who pleaded guilty in 2023, testified that she and other operators of purported meal distribution sites gave “donations” to Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock in exchange for their continued participation in the fraud.

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted three members of the Minneapolis Bloods gang in connection with the murder of two rivals. The case is notable because jurors found one of the defendants guilty of racketeering.