Live updates: Feeding our Future ringleader Aimee Bock to be sentenced on Thursday

MN fraud: Feeding Our Future ringleader faces sentencing

Aimee Bock, the woman accused of being the ringleader in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, is set to be sentenced on Wednesday morning. Prosecutors say the scheme involved roughly $250 million in stolen pandemic relief funds. FOX 9's Bill Keller reports. 

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The convicted ringleader behind the massive $250 million Feeding our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota is now set to learn her fate on Thursday.

9 a.m. – Bock arrives in court

Aimee bock arrives in court shortly after 9 a.m. dressed in a baggy green jailhouse uniform.

There isn't an empty seat in the courthouse for the sentencing between media, spectators and even former U.S. Attorney prosecutors who have shown up. That includes former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who was lead prosecutor on the Feeding our Future case. Thompson left the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota at the height of the federal surge in January.

The court is even using the jury box to allow for extra seating for the sentencing hearing.

Aimee Bock to be sentenced

What we know:

More than a year after she was found guilty of her role in the fraud scheme, former Feeding our Future founder Aimee Bock will finally be sentenced on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Bock was the "mastermind" behind the massive $250 million fraud scheme during the pandemic.

The backstory:

Bock was found guilty of seven counts at trial, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and federal programs bribery.

At trial, prosecutors showed Bock recruited food vendors and restaurants to enroll in the federal child nutrition program under Feeding our Future's sponsorship, and claimed to serve thousands of meals to children during the pandemic. Authorities say the vendors either lied about the number of meals served or inflated the number of meals served and pocketed the excess funds.

Prosecutors ask for 50 years for Bock

By the numbers:

Ahead of sentencing this week, prosecutors filed their recommendation on the sentence, asking a judge to hand down 50 years behind bars for Bock.

"Her actions have permanently altered the state, and not for the better," prosecutors write. "The Court must send a clear and unequivocal message to Bock and to anyone who might believe they can exploit state and federal safety net programs that such conduct will be met with the strongest possible consequences. Stealing funds intended to feed children is a profound breach of trust that demands accountability."

Prosecutors say Bock has never admitted to the crimes or shown regret. While behind bars, prosecutors say she broke a court protective order by telling her son to send anonymous emails to state lawmakers claiming she was set up as a scapegoat by Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

"To this day, Bock has denied responsibility for her crimes. She has not expressed an ounce of remorse for her actions. She appears to have felt no shame."

The other side:

In response to the government, Bock's attorneys point out that she has records of terminating vendors from Feeding our Future for fraud.

Her attorneys claim that she was "isolated" because she didn't speak Somali like other defendants in the fraud case and wasn't aware of the fraud. They also try to shift the blame on the Minnesota Department of Education, saying the state was aware of fraud as early as 2020 but failed to act. However, it's worth noting that the state did attempt to shut down Feeding our Future in 2020 and Bock sued to stop it.

Her defense is seeking a three-year sentence followed by a term of supervised release with mental health treatment and vocational programming.