Federal authorities have charged 47 people in Minnesota for what they say was a massive scheme to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and defraud the government of $250 million from a program that provides meals to low-income children.
, including bringing charges in more than 1,000 criminal cases involving losses in excess of $1.1 billion.
According to court documents, the alleged scheme targeted the USDA’s federal child nutrition programs, which provide food to low-income children and adults. In Minnesota, the funds are administered by the state Department of Education, and meals have historically been provided to kids through educational programs, such as schools or day care centers..
Luger said the scheme involved more than 125 million fake meals, with some defendants making up names for children by using an online random name generator. He displayed one form for reimbursement that claimed a site served exactly 2,500 meals each day Monday through Friday — with no children ever getting sick or otherwise missing from the program.He said the government has so far recovered $50 million in money and property and expects to recover more.
Feeding Our Future received nearly $18 million in federal child nutrition program funds as administrative fees in 2021 alone, and Bock and other employees received additional kickbacks, which were often disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies, the charging documents said.According to an FBI affidavit unsealed earlier this year, Feeding Our Future received $307,000 in reimbursements from the USDA in 2018, $3.45 million in 2019 and $42.7 million in 2020.
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