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Feeding Our Future trial: 'We may have become the mob'

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Published  March 3, 2025 7:19pm CST
Feeding Our Future
FOX 9
Feeding Our Future trial: FBI agent testifies

Feeding Our Future trial: FBI agent testifies

An FBI agent highlights how Aimee Bock knew about the massive fraud in the Feeding Our Future scam. FOX 9's Rob Olson has the latest.

The Brief

    • An FBI agent testified about text messages retrieved from Aimee Bock’s phone, which they believe shows she knew about fraud and aggressively tried to keep critics quiet.
    • Bock is the alleged ringleader of the $250 million fraud scheme through her non-profit, Feeding Our Future.
    • Defense continues to raise doubts that Bock knew the fraud was occurring, but FBI agent messages show she’s "part of a larger scheme."

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - In a text exchange, after someone involved in Feeding Our Future began making accusations of fraud, Aimee Bock sought to keep them quiet.

In one message, retrieved by the FBI from her phone, she writes that her attorney "will call her in the morning. She will be terrified."  She followed that up with the message, "we may have become the mob."

Prosecution close to resting

The backstory:

This is the start of the fourth week of the federal trial of Aimee Bock, charged with wire fraud and bribery and accusing her of being in a conspiracy.

An FBI agent, who testified earlier in the trial, returned on Thursday and remained on the stand most of Monday, once again going through meal claims and checks submitted and written by Bock.

The prosecutors have repeatedly pointed out that, as the sponsor of the meal sites and food vendors, Bock bears responsibility regardless, since she personally attested the documents were accurate.

"Who was the gatekeeper of the nearly $250 million that was paid out for those purported 89 million meals to children," the prosecution asked.  "Aimee Bock," replied FBI agent Travis Wilmer.

Bock reacting aggressively to critics

More messages:

Another text exchange came after a social media post that clearly accused Feeding Our Future of fraud.  The post shared a video from a wedding of one of Bock’s employees.

Jurors saw the video, in which approximately $100,000 worth of gold and jewelry is presented to the bride. The poster said this put the Somali community in a bad light, noting that this was the result of meal fraud.

Bock angrily replied in a text group, writing "Slap them with a defamation lawsuit. Slander my company and my team. Get the f*** out of here."

Seized bank accounts

What else to know:

When the FBI executed search warrants in January 2022, they also simultaneously seized bank accounts of people connected to Feeding Our Future.

But one account was inadvertently seized the night before, sparking another group text exchange which included Bock.

Asked why this was significant to the FBI, Wilmer said it "signified to us that these individuals are not operating in silos.  Shows they are part of a larger scheme together."

Feeding Our FutureCrime and Public SafetyMinneapolis