Rome Sentinel

Elsewhere:

(Sept. 22), Minneapolis Star Tribune on stealing from Minnesota’s future:

Needy kids, taxpayers and the state’s reputation are among the victims.

News that a nonprofit director and more than four dozen others have been charged in a vast scheme to steal from the government — and needy children — is another embarrassment for Minnesota. The sheer number of alleged participants and the amount of money involved is astounding.

This week, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced indictments against Feeding Our Future Executive Director Aimee Bock and 47 other defendants. They are accused of taking more than $250 million in taxpayer funds that were supposed to help feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal funds were sent to the Minnesota Education Department to distribute to local food programs.

Prosecutors in this case and related ongoing investigations must get to the bottom of how and why this massive abuse of public funds happened.

Prosecutors accused Bock of recruiting many of those who conspired to skim funds from the federal program. And prosecutors say Bock knowingly submitted more than 125 million false meal claims.

Luger described the scheme as the largest pandemic fraud in the country and one of the largest federal fraud cases ever brought in Minnesota.

Those indicted “engaged in a brazen scheme of staggering proportions,” Luger said. “Their goal was to make as much money for themselves as they could while falsely claiming to feed children during the pandemic.”

Among the charges are conspiracy, money laundering, bribery and wire fraud. The indictments allege that conspirators submitted fake invoices and enrollment forms with fictitious names.

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2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://romesentinel.pressreader.com/article/281887302185830

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