Feeding Our Future ‘mastermind’ sentenced to 41 years amid Minnesota Medicaid fraud crackdown

Federal officials announced sweeping new Medicaid fraud charges in Minnesota May 21, accusing 15 defendants of schemes involving more than $90 million in alleged losses tied to autism services, disability care, housing support, and child care programs. The announcement came just hours after Aimee Bock, the “mastermind” behind the massive Feeding Our Future case, received the longest sentence yet connected to that fraud investigation.

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DOJ charges 15 in Minnesota Medicaid, social-services fraud schemes

When the Justice Department announced the new charges, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the cases involved defendants who allegedly “stole from our country’s most vulnerable: children with autism, the disabled, and the homeless.”

“These alleged con artists stole taxpayer dollars while providing substandard care for children and abandoning at least one Medicaid recipient as they passed away,” he said. “This will not be tolerated.”

Among the allegations were claims that providers falsely diagnosed children with autism just so they could bill Medicaid. Others reportedly paid kickbacks to parents and submitted claims for services never delivered. In one case, prosecutors alleged a defendant continued billing for care for a Medicaid recipient who had died.

Federal officials said rapidly expanding Medicaid programs in Minnesota created opportunities for exploitation by bad actors. The department said claims under Minnesota’s autism treatment program surged from roughly $600,000 in 2018 to more than $400 million by 2025.

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Blanche said Minnesota “will no longer serve as a safe haven for fraud, nor will any state in this country,” adding that the department’s fraud division and Vice President JD Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud would “hunt down fraudsters wherever they are and systematically dismantle their predatory schemes.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the cases “the largest autism fraud bust in American history,” accusing defendants of exploiting children and diverting critical care resources away from families who genuinely needed assistance.

FBI Director Kash Patel similarly said the defendants “stole critical resources from families who truly needed them.” 

The Justice Department also announced a major expansion of its Health Care Fraud Strike Force, adding 15 prosecutors nationwide dedicated to Medicaid fraud investigations. Officials said the Minnesota cases demonstrated the need for stronger federal oversight and what Blanche described as a “whole-of-government” response to fraud involving vulnerable populations. 

Feeding Our Future ‘mastermind’ sentenced 

Also on May 21, Aimee Bock, the “mastermind” behind the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, was sentenced to 500 months in federal prison — more than 41 years — for orchestrating what prosecutors described as one of the largest COVID-era fraud plots in the country. She was ordered to pay more than $240 million in restitution after being convicted on charges including wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery.

Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said Bock and co-defendant Salim Said “took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children.” Kirkpatrick reported the defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals in order to fraudulently obtain nearly $250 million in federal funds.

“That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles,” Kirkpatrick said. “Today’s verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated.”

Federal authorities said the broader Feeding Our Future investigation has resulted in roughly 79 indictments and dozens of convictions, though investigators say only a fraction of the stolen money has been recovered. Prosecutors accused participants in the scheme of diverting taxpayer funds into luxury homes, vehicles, commercial real estate, and other personal expenses.