23-05-2025
Federal agents raid St. Paul nonprofit as part of Feeding Our Future fraud investigation
Federal prosecutors on Friday confirmed to WCCO that agents executed a new search warrant against New Vision Foundation, a St. Paul nonprofit that allegedly schemed with Feeding Our Future and its founder Aimee Bock to defraud millions of dollars from the government.
According to its website, New Vision Foundation's mission is to "create pathways to success by motivating disadvantaged youth in Minnesota through coding and digital literacy classes." Court documents accuse NVF and its owner of entering the fake meal business during COVID-19.
A 44-page affidavit from Special Agent Travis Wilmer was unsealed by a federal judge on Thursday. It contains receipts, invoices and claims made by NVF that were submitted to Feeding Our Future, which then collected the reimbursements and distributed them back to NVF, along with hundreds of other vendors in its contracts. For its services, Bock and Feeding Our Future earned millions in kickbacks.
Wilmer in his affidavit said NVF claimed to have served more than 3,000 meals a day, six days a week, at its St. Paul location, while also then claiming to serve 1,800 kids daily in Waite Park, Minnesota. According to Wilmer, neighboring business owners said they nary saw children in either location, and in St. Paul in particular, one business owner told investigators that children shouldn't even be in the area because it employs former convicts.
Calls and emails to NVF and its owner were not returned.
70 people charged in $250 million scheme
In March, a jury found Bock and co-defendant Salim Said guilty of taking tens of millions of dollars meant to feed hungry children. The jury, which deliberated for several hours, issued all guilty verdicts on multiple criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.
Bock and Said are two of 70 people charged so far in the scheme. Roughly 30 others have pleaded guilty, and five others have been convicted.
Earlier this year, separate Feeding Our Future defendants admitted to witness tampering in connection with a $120,000 bribery attempt of a juror. Documents say Ladan Ali flew in from Seattle in May 2024 and followed a juror home after the first day of closing arguments, and then two days later handed a bag containing the cash to the juror's relative and told them there would be more if the juror voted to acquit all the defendants.
