More guilty pleas in Feeding Our Future as prosecutions near end in fraud scheme
3 more plead guilty in Feeding Our Future scandal
Three more people pleaded guilty in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme Friday. FOX 9's Rob Olson has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline is one of the new lead prosecutors in the Feeding Our Future cases, after the departures of other prosecutors in recent months.
She says jumping into these cases has been smooth, as she was already fairly up to speed, and thanks to the overwhelming evidence used to bring both convictions and guilty pleas.
"I think people have seen how damning the evidence has been at trial and how significant the sentencing exposure would be in these schemes after trial."
More guilty pleas
Feeding Our Future: 3 more guilty pleas
Three more defendants in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme have pleaded guilty. That brings the number of guilty pleas up to 57. FOX 9's Rob Olson has the latest.
What we know:
This week, out of a group of seven people charged together, five of them took plea deals offered by prosecutors and one is set to do the same next week.
One pleaded not guilty and will stand trial, alone, in April.
Six of the seven are family members.
Why one man held out is not clear, but the number of those willing to plead guilty is, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a sign of how the evidence already used in two previous trials has proven difficult to overcome.
"The volume of evidence against each of these defendants is incredibly overwhelming," said Kline.
"We’re talking hundreds of meal counts and rosters and fake invoices, week after week, month after month, and there’s just not anything anyone can do to answer to that."
$250 million in food fraud
The backstory:
When the prosecution was unveiled in September 2022, 47 people were initially charged, which was an extraordinary number.
That included Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock, who was convicted in 2025 and still awaits sentencing.
In total, prosecutors say those involved defrauded the government of roughly $250 million in funds from the USDA by opening hundreds of supposed meal sites for kids during the pandemic and then claiming to feed thousands each day.
This was the beginning, too, of major questions for the Walz administration, as the state’s Department of Education served as middleman for processing claims.
By the numbers:
To date, 79 people in total have been indicted. Of those, there have been seven convictions. Two were found not guilty.
With a plea hearing on the calendar for next week, the total number of those pleading guilty will be 57.
One defendant died after the charges came out, and five are fugitives.
That leaves seven cases outstanding, two of which are set for trial this year.
Kline has plenty else on her plate, as she’s also involved in prosecuting fraud in the state’s Medicaid-related programs.
As for Feeding Our Future, it’s certainly possible more charges could come, but even so, the cases are nearing a finish line.
"I think we’re relatively towards the end of that process, I’m not saying we’re done," said Kline.
"We are continuing to investigate all possible avenues."