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A26 u.s. news
Diaranson 21 september 2022

Feds: 47 exploited pandemic to steal $250M from food program

until seeing the indictment. ing conspiracy, wire fraud, served only a few dozen
money laundering and brib- people a day. Two defendants
In interviews after law en- ery. Luger said some of them offered the owner $40,000 a
forcement searched multiple were arrested Tuesday morn- month to use his restaurant,
sites in January, including ing. then billed the government
Bock's home and offices, for some 1.6 million meals
Bock denied stealing money According to court docu- through 11 months of 2021,
and said she never saw evi- ments, the alleged scheme according to one indict-
dence of fraud. targeted the USDA's federal ment. They listed the names
child nutrition programs, of around 2,000 children —
Earlier this year, the U.S. which provide food to low- nearly half of the local school
Department of Justice made income children and adults. district's total enrollment —
prosecuting pandemic-relat- In Minnesota, the funds are and only 33 names matched
ed fraud a priority. The de- administered by the state De- actual students, the indict-
partment has already taken partment of Education, and ment said.
enforcement actions related meals have historically been
to more than $8 billion in provided to kids through Feeding Our Future received
suspected pandemic fraud, educational programs, such nearly $18 million in fed-
including bringing charges as schools or day care centers. eral child nutrition program
in more than 1,000 criminal funds as administrative fees
cases involving losses in ex- The sites that serve the food in 2021 alone, and Bock and
cess of $1.1 billion. are sponsored by public or other employees received
nonprofit groups, such as additional kickbacks, which
Federal officials repeatedly Feeding Our Future. The were often disguised as "con-
described the alleged fraud as sponsoring agency keeps 10% sulting fees" paid to shell
"brazen," and decried that it to 15% of the reimbursement companies, the charging doc-
involved a program intended funds as an administrative fee uments said.
to feed children who needed in exchange for submitting
help during the pandemic. claims, sponsoring the sites According to an FBI affida-
Michael Paul, special agent and disbursing the funds. vit unsealed earlier this year,
in charge of the Minneapolis Feeding Our Future received
(AP) — Federal authori- FBI office, called it "an aston- But during the pandemic, $307,000 in reimbursements
ties charged 47 people "This $250 million is the ishing display of deceit." some of the standard require- from the USDA in 2018,
in Minnesota with con- floor," Andy Luger, the U.S. ments for sites to participate $3.45 million in 2019 and
spiracy and other counts attorney for Minnesota, said Luger said the government in the federal food nutrition $42.7 million in 2020. The
in what they said Tues- at a news conference. "Our was billed for more than programs were waived. The amount of reimbursements
day was the largest fraud investigation continues." 125 million fake meals, with USDA allowed for-profit jumped to $197.9 million in
scheme yet to take ad- some defendants making up restaurants to participate, 2021.
vantage of the COVID-19 Many of the companies that names for children by us- and allowed food to be dis-
pandemic by stealing $250 claimed to be serving food ing an online random name tributed outside educational Court documents say the
million from a federal were sponsored by a non- generator. He displayed one programs. The charging doc- Minnesota Department of
program that provides profit called Feeding Our form for reimbursement that uments say the defendants Education was growing con-
meals to low-income chil- Future, which submitted the claimed a site served exactly exploited such changes "to cerned about the rapid in-
dren. companies' claims for reim- 2,500 meals each day Mon- enrich themselves." crease in the number of sites
bursement. Feeding Our Fu- day through Friday — with sponsored by Feeding Our
Prosecutors say the defen- ture's founder and executive no children ever getting sick The documents say Bock Future, as well as the increase
dants created companies that director, Aimee Bock, was or otherwise missing from oversaw the scheme and in reimbursements.
claimed to be offering food among those indicted, and the program. that she and Feeding Our
to tens of thousands of chil- authorities say she and others Future sponsored the open- The department began scru-
dren across Minnesota, then in her organization submit- "These children were simply ing of nearly 200 federal tinizing Feeding Our Fu-
sought reimbursement for ted the fraudulent claims for invented," Luger said. child nutrition program sites ture's site applications more
those meals through the U.S. reimbursement and received throughout the state, know- carefully, and denied dozens
Department of Agriculture's kickbacks. He said the government has ing that the sites intended to of them. In response, Bock
food nutrition programs. so far recovered $50 million submit fraudulent claims. sued the department in No-
Prosecutors say few meals Bock's attorney, Kenneth in money and property and vember 2020, alleging dis-
were actually served, and the Udoibok, said the indict- expects to recover more. One example described a crimination, saying the ma-
defendants used the money ment "doesn't indicate guilt small storefront restaurant jority of her sites were based
to buy luxury cars, property or innocence." He said he The defendants in Minnesota in Willmar, in west-central in immigrant communities.
and jewelry. wouldn't comment further face multiple counts, includ- Minnesota, that typically That case has since been dis-

Court: Election denier can run for Ohio secretary of state

(AP) — A conservative Says" podcast, will appear on senting and Justice Sharon but a Republican official — their own procedures for
podcaster who embraces ballots as an independent. Kennedy not participating. acting in his capacity as an counting her signatures. The
former President Don- Ohio voter — filed a chal- court's majority agreed that
ald Trump's discredited She faces Republican Secre- The decision marks the latest lenge, asserting a number of LaRose's office "acted in clear
claims of a stolen 2020 tary of State Frank LaRose twist in Maras' rollercoaster her signatures were invalid. disregard of the applicable
election is eligible to run and Democratic challenger bid to seek the office over- A judge ruled in the official's law when he refused to count
for Ohio secretary of state Chelsea Clark. seeing Ohio elections. She favor and LaRose's office up- the additional verified signa-
this fall, the state's high previously met the deadline held that decision and invali- tures" Maras had submitted.
court ruled Tuesday. The Ohio Supreme Court to run as a Republican can- dated her candidacy.
split 4-2 in its ruling, with didate for the ballot back in In his dissent, DeWine said
Terpeshore "Tore" Maras, Chief Justice Maureen February, but fell short of the She sued, alleging more of the Maras' court filing failed to
who calls President Joe Biden O'Connor, a Republican, required valid signatures. voter signatures she submit- meet a host of technical re-
"resident not president" and joining the court's three ted as an independent should quirements, making it in-
embraces aspects of the QA- Democrats, Justices Pat LaRose's office later cleared be counted as valid and that valid.
non conspiracy in her "Tore DeWine and Pat Fischer dis- her to run as an independent, LaRose's office didn't follow