Wednesday April 30, 2025
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison testifies before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee on April 29, 2025, in St. Paul. Ellison defended his 2021 meeting with individuals later convicted in the Feeding Our Future fraud case, saying he was unaware of their involvement at the time.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (HOL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison defended his 2021 meeting with individuals later convicted in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme on Monday, telling lawmakers he was unaware of their wrongdoing at the time and took no action to support them.
The meeting, secretly recorded and released by a conservative think tank, took place in December 2021 — one month before the FBI raided Feeding Our Future offices. In the tape, Ellison is heard expressing frustration over state agencies allegedly mistreating East African vendors.
“This has my attention,” Ellison said in the recording. “Governor Walz agrees with me that this piddly, stupid stuff running small people out of business is terrible.”
Ellison appeared before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee to respond to criticism from Republican lawmakers who questioned how he could have met with fraud suspects while representing the Minnesota Department of Education in litigation against Feeding Our Future.
“I did nothing for these people,” Ellison told the committee. “After the meeting, I consulted with my staff and realized these individuals were bad actors. I accepted no campaign contributions and provided no support.”
At the time of the meeting, Ellison said he was unaware the FBI had been investigating the organization since May 2021. Ellison said he believed he was conducting a routine constituent meeting and emphasized he cannot personally monitor every case under his office’s jurisdiction.
“It’s simply not how large agencies operate,” he said. “I oversee more than 400 lawyers. I don’t track every file.”
Committee Chair Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said the hearing was necessary to clarify Ellison’s involvement and how his office handled the case.
“There are still unanswered questions about when the attorney general knew what and whether he defended state agencies aggressively enough,” Robbins said.
In the recording, several attendees offered to help Ellison’s reelection campaign. Ellison denied accepting any support. “Not from anyone in that meeting,” he said. “I returned a donation once I found out it was connected to someone in the case.”
Federal prosecutors have since charged 70 people in connection with Feeding Our Future, which would become one of the largest COVID-era fraud investigations in the country. The program claimed to operate meal programs for low-income children during the pandemic. Authorities say the group submitted false documentation to claim reimbursements, then spent the money on luxury homes, jewelry, and international travel. Over 35 defendants have pleaded guilty, and several have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, and Salim Said, co-owner of Safari Restaurant, were convicted on all counts in March 2025 after a five-week trial. Prosecutors described Bock as the ringleader of an operation that siphoned millions of dollars in federal reimbursements intended to feed low-income children.
Democratic lawmakers on the committee, including Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, called the hearing a political sideshow. “We should be focused on how to protect public funds, not political gotcha moments,” she said.
Ellison concluded his testimony by calling for bipartisan action. “If we can leave politics aside and focus on safeguarding taxpayer dollars, you’ll find a partner in me,” he said.
