Wednesday March 5, 2025
Aimee Bock, the former executive director of Feeding Our Future, enters the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on October 16, 2024, for a hearing on a probation violation. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (HOL) — It started with a promise. It ended in federal court.
On Tuesday, as jurors leaned in, prosecutors unveiled a labyrinth of deceit. At its center: Aimee Bock, the one-time do-gooder turned alleged architect of a sprawling fraud empire. Testimony from an FBI forensic accountant detailed how Bock allegedly used fraudulent business transactions and solicited donations from meal site operators to enrich herself.
Court documents show that in 2021, Bock sold her daycare business, Learning Journey, for $310,000 to individuals connected to Feeding Our Future’s meal program. Prosecutors argue the transaction was a fraudulent kickback, as Learning Journey had never been operational, lacked assets, and was not licensed as a daycare provider.
FBI forensic accountant Lacra Blackwell didn’t mince words. She testified that the sale price, which included $75,000 for equipment and $235,000 for customer goodwill, was misleading. “There was no customer base, no reputation, and no goodwill,” Blackwell said, adding that the building was empty when federal agents raided it in early 2022.
Following the sale, the address associated with Learning Journey was repurposed by another company, Bet on a Better Future, which claimed to be providing meals and receiving federal reimbursements through Feeding Our Future.
As federal investigators began examining Feeding Our Future’s finances, Bock allegedly sought additional funding through a GoFundMe campaign titled Feed MN, which raised $74,000. According to prosecutors, all donors were linked to Feeding Our Future’s meal program, raising questions about whether the donations were another means of funnelling money back to Bock.
In December 2021, Bock created another entity, School Age Consultants, which collected $103,000 within weeks. The cover? A so-called policy and procedure handbook for daycare operators. Prosecutors argue that these payments were mostly in uniform amounts of $2,800. The FBI says no such handbook ever existed.
In a message presented in court, Bock wrote to her boyfriend, Malcolm Watson: “The amount of money I’m going to make tomorrow, you should be f*** happy.” Days later, she deposited $78,000 into a personal account.
Prosecutors also introduced evidence suggesting Bock used Feeding Our Future’s funds for personal expenses. Bank records showed expenditures on a luxury hotel stay in Memphis, VIP tickets to Graceland, and vehicle-related purchases, including a Porsche and a Chevy Nova. Bock expressed frustration over ongoing costs in one message, writing, “Same with the Porsche. I bought a car that I don’t even know where it is or have a key to.”
Bock’s lawyer, Kenneth Udoibok, tried to poke holes. He argued that the prosecution’s case relies heavily on financial records without physical inspections or alternative explanations. He emphasized that Learning Journey was established in 2019—before the surge of federal meal funds—and questioned whether the FBI had verified claims about its legitimacy beyond financial statements.
Yet witness after witness—including convicted site operator Abdulkadir Awale—painted a different picture. Awale testified that donations to School Age Consultants were meant to support Feeding Our Future and Bock personally. When asked if he knew what School Age Consultants did, Awale replied, “I have no idea.”
Prosecutors are expected to rest their case by Wednesday. The defence remains tight-lipped on whether Bock will testify. If convicted, she faces charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and federal program bribery in what is shaping up to be the largest COVID-related fraud case in U.S. history.
The jury will ultimately decide whether Bock knowingly participated in the alleged fraud or if she was unaware of the misconduct within Feeding Our Future.
