Somali fraudsters turned millions in child nutrition funds into luxury cars and villas
By isabelle // 2025-12-15
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  • Seven individuals were convicted for a massive pandemic food aid fraud scheme in Minnesota.
  • The group fraudulently obtained more than $250 million in federal funds meant to feed children.
  • Stolen money was used to buy luxury cars, properties, and international vacations.
  • The scheme's mastermind, Aimee Bock, was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery.
  • The scandal has prompted political scrutiny over the oversight of emergency funds.
In the shadow of a global pandemic, a network of fraudsters capitalized on a historic opportunity to steal. While American families struggled, a brazen scheme in Minnesota diverted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars meant to feed hungry children into a whirlwind of private villas, luxury cars, and stacks of cash. Newly revealed court exhibits paint a staggering picture of greed, exposing one of the largest COVID-era frauds in U.S. history and raising urgent questions about the oversight of public funds. The scheme centered on nonprofit food programs like Feeding Our Future, which was responsible for ensuring children didn't go hungry during the pandemic. Instead, prosecutors say, its founder and executive director, Aimee Bock, presided over a network that systematically exploited the emergency. The organization claimed to have served 91 million meals, fraudulently receiving nearly $250 million in federal funds. Bock was convicted in March 2025 of wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery for her role, which prosecutors described as that of the scheme's "mastermind."

A trail of luxury and cash

The scale of personal enrichment is captured in detail through evidence presented at trial. Exhibits show defendants used stolen nutrition dollars to purchase lakefront Minnesota properties, a 2021 Porsche Macan, a black Mercedes-Benz GLA, and a Chevrolet Silverado. One text exchange between defendants shows a box stuffed with cash accompanied by a message boasting "$270,000 dollars." Other images show celebrations at a luxury Maldives resort, with confirmations for stays in overwater villas featuring private pools. The spending spree extended globally. Millions were wired overseas to bank accounts in China, East Africa, and Kenya. Investigators note that tracing funds routed through China is especially difficult, calling it an investigative “black hole.” In one instance, defendant Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, sent more than $1 million to Chinese banks and nearly $3 million to Kenyan accounts. Farah, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison, was told by a judge that his crimes were driven by “pure, unmitigated greed.”

The staggering scale of the fraud

The fraud was built on audacious lies. One defendant alone billed the state for $47 million, claiming to have served 18 million meals at more than 30 locations. Prosecutors say not a single meal was distributed. Another, Salim Said, owned a small Minneapolis restaurant that claimed to be serving more than 4,000 meals daily to the poor while his companies received more than $32 million in federal nutrition funds. Said used $250,000 in stolen money to buy a home and a $2.7 million wire transfer to purchase a mansion-style office building. At sentencing for 24-year-old Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, who used funds for luxury travel, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel issued a sharp rebuke: “Where others saw a crisis and rushed to help, you saw money and rushed to steal.” Nur was sentenced to 10 years and ordered to pay nearly $48 million in restitution.

A failure of oversight

The scandal has ignited political scrutiny, with House Republicans launching a probe into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the case. Reports suggest state leaders were hesitant to act forcefully early on. Rachel O'Brien, deputy public policy editor at Open The Books, told The National Desk that one investigator told the New York Times "the state's leaders were afraid forcefully tackling this issue might cause political backlash." Prosecutors presented evidence that when state education officials grew suspicious, Bock accused them of racism and sued, leading a judge to order reimbursements to continue—a ruling prosecutors say allowed the fraud to escalate. The Treasury Department is reviewing whether stolen funds could have reached extremist organizations, although federal investigators told CBS News they have found no evidence money was funneled to the terrorist group al-Shabaab. Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, whose office prosecuted many of the cases, stated, “There was never any evidence that this money went to fund terrorism nor was there any evidence that was the intent of the 70 people we indicted.” So far, 61 people have been convicted in the sprawling scandal, with investigations ongoing. The case stands as a depressing monument to opportunism, revealing how a well-intentioned emergency response was hollowed out by spectacular fraud. It underscores a perennial vulnerability in crisis spending: the rush to aid can outpace the safeguards designed to protect it, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for someone else’s paradise. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com FoxNews.com KOMONews.com FoxNews.com
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