Convicted Feeding Our Future ringleader appears in court, accused of leaking documents

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The woman convicted as the Feeding Our Future fraud "ring leader" answered to accusations that she leaked sensitive court documents to members of the media and politicians, allegedly with the help of her adult sons.

READ MORE: Feeding Our Future: Aimee Bock accused of leaking protected case files

Aimee Bock accused of leaking documents from jail

Big picture view:

Prosecutors say they believe Bock was trying to help her case ahead of her sentencing by leaking protected files to news reporters and some politicians. 

While in court on Thursday, the state asked the judge to bar Bock from communicating with her two adult sons, claiming they helped her leak the files.

The leaked documents reportedly contained information from protected witnesses who never testified in open court and only cooperated with the promise of anonymity.

Investigators say they believe the documents came from Bock's Dropbox account, which contains a massive amount of files, including some that are considered protected evidence used in trial. 

Prosecutors accused Bock of directing her adult son to send out protected information in an effort to incriminate someone else involved in the Feeding Our Future fraud. 

She also allegedly told her son in a recorded jail call to remove identifying markers from the files that indicate the document is protected. 

In the end, the judge did not ban Bock from communicating with her sons, but did order that Bock no longer have access to the Dropbox account and that the passwords be changed.  

The judge also made it clear that Bock can speak to whoever she wants. 

What they're saying:

Kenneth Udoibok, Bock's defense attorney, spoke about the steps he'll take after the judge's rulings. 

"What the court has done and what the federal government has done, they have recognized me as an officer of the court to make sure, one; her children don't have any protected material, because I'll delete them. Number two, any emails that the son used or devices to send out protected materials, if he did, I will contact those people and I'm gonna, the federal government is gonna assist me. I will connect those people and say bring back those documents."

What's next:

Bock’s sentencing is set for May 21.

What they're saying:

Prosecutors allege that since February, Bock has directed her college-age son to download and send protected materials from her Dropbox account to lawmakers and reporters. They say she aimed to shift blame for the fraud scheme away from herself and onto state officials and uncharged individuals. 

Government officials allege Bock told her son to remove any markings showing the documents came from her criminal case, and to use a Proton Mail account under a fake name.

In recorded jail calls, Bock said, "Ellison’s office intentionally set Bock/FOF up to be a scapegoat," and, "we’re blowing s**t up now. Now we’re leaking all kinds of documents," according to the motion.

Aimee Bock convicted of Feeding our Future fraud

The backstory:

Bock was convicted on all counts by a jury on Wednesday, March 19, for her role in the Feeding Our Future fraud, which involved hundreds of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition funds. The case has seen multiple attempts to subvert the judicial process, including past incidents of recording court proceedings, bribing jurors, and tampering with witnesses. 

The court’s original protective order, issued Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, required Bock and co-defendants to keep sensitive discovery materials strictly confidential and use them only for the criminal case. Prosecutors say Bock violated this order by leaking documents to the media and lawmakers. 

In one example, a Minnesota lawmaker received emails from "Daisy Hill" containing protected documents and claims that state officials set up Bock as a scapegoat. In another, a Star Tribune reporter told a lawyer they had more than 100 law enforcement interview reports and planned to quote from them in an article.

Prosecutors say Bock admitted in jail calls that she knew her actions could bring more penalties but said, "They want to sentence me to life anyway." Prosecutors argue that previous defendants in the case who tried to interfere with the process were sanctioned and say the court should do the same with Bock. Prosecutors want the court to act quickly to prevent further leaks and protect the integrity of the ongoing case. 

Why you should care:

The Feeding Our Future fraud case is one of the largest public corruption cases in Minnesota’s history, involving hundreds of millions of dollars meant for child nutrition programs.

The government’s motion highlights concerns about witness safety, the integrity of ongoing investigations and the risk of further leaks undermining the judicial process. 

The case also raises questions about how sensitive information is handled in high-profile prosecutions and the potential impact of leaks on public trust.