“The shame of Minnesota”: Somali immigrants behind $250 million child nutrition fraud in largest COVID-era scam

• 70 defendants, mostly Somali immigrants, charged in a $250 million fraud against federal child nutrition programs

• 37 have pleaded guilty, 7 convicted, with trials ongoing for the rest

• Feeding Our Future, a fake nonprofit, exploited COVID-era waivers to submit false meal claims

• Luxury purchases included homes, cars, and overseas properties in Turkey and Kenya

• Whistleblower exposed scheme after Minnesota officials ignored red flags, fearing accusations of racism

In what federal prosecutors call “the largest COVID fraud case in U.S. history,” a network of Somali immigrants allegedly siphoned $250 million from a federal program meant to feed hungry children. The scheme, centered around a sham nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, exploited pandemic-era funding waivers, submitting fabricated meal counts and rosters to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Of the 70 individuals charged, nearly all are Somali refugees, with 37 pleading guilty and 7 convicted so far. The case exposes a staggering betrayal of public trust—one that raises troubling questions about immigrant assimilation, government oversight, and the vulnerabilities of welfare systems.

A perfect storm: how the fraud unfolded

Between March 2020 and January 2022, Aimee Bock, the executive director of Feeding Our Future, and her mostly Somali co-conspirators filed false claims for reimbursement, claiming to serve meals to thousands of children who didn’t exist. The MDE, operating under relaxed COVID-era rules, rubber-stamped the fraudulent submissions, even as red flags mounted.

• Fake meal counts: Some sites claimed to serve 5,000 children daily—more than entire school districts.

• Nonexistent board members: Feeding Our Future listed bartenders and a small-engine mechanic as board members, none of whom knew they were involved.

• Lavish spending: Defendants bought luxury cars, homes in multiple states, and properties in Kenya and Turkey with stolen funds.

A whistleblower from the MDE alerted the FBI in April 2021, leading to surveillance that revealed empty food sites where thousands of meals were supposedly served daily. By January 2022, federal agents raided locations across the Twin Cities in Minnesota’s largest-ever fraud bust.

Cultural & Political Context

• Minnesota has the largest Somali population in North America (100,000+), many arriving as refugees since the 1990s.
• Minnesota’s liberal welfare policies and lax oversight enabled fraud.
• Some Somali immigrants have been linked to terrorism recruitment (ISIS, al-Shabab), though this case involves financial crime, not extremism.
• The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) ignored red flags, allegedly due to fears of being accused of racism.
• Federal waivers during COVID made fraud easier.
• Governor Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison (both Democrats) were criticized for not acting sooner.
• Abdihakim Osman Nur, a Somali immigrant, exposed corruption after witnessing $100,000 in gold gifts given to a Feeding Our Future employee at a wedding. His testimony helped prosecutors.

The fallout: Who pays the price?

While most defendants eagerly participated, one Somali immigrant, Abdihakim Osman Nur, publicly condemned the fraud. In a Facebook post, he described a Feeding Our Future staffer’s wedding, where vendors gifted the bride $10,000 in gold trays—paid for with stolen funds.

“We cannot close our eyes to such corruption… when we only have a few bad apples,” Nur wrote.

Yet state officials remained silent. Governor Tim Walz claimed they “caught it very early” but refused to answer follow-up questions. Attorney General Keith Ellison, who once boasted “I know a scam when I see one,” also declined to comment.

The case has left Minnesota reeling, with prosecutors calling it “the shame of Minnesota.” Yet it also raises deeper questions:

• Why did oversight fail so spectacularly?

• Did political correctness prevent officials from acting sooner?

• Will this case change how refugee resettlement and welfare programs operate?

As Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson declared after the convictions: “This fraud is gross, disgusting, and despicable.” But beyond the legal consequences, the scandal serves as a cautionary tale—one that forces us to ask: When generosity meets exploitation, who really suffers?

Sources include:

Zerohedge.com

Freebeacon.com

Enoch, Brighteon.ai