Convicted Feeding Our Future Mastermind Aimee Bock Says Rep. Ilhan Omar “Must Have Known” About $250 Million COVID Meal Fraud

MINNEAPOLIS — Aimee Bock, the woman prosecutors called the ringleader of Minnesota’s massive $250 million COVID-era meal fraud scheme, told the New York Post in a jailhouse interview published Friday that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) had to have known about the widespread scam.

“I struggle to believe that she wouldn’t have known,” Bock said of Omar. She is serving a multi-year federal prison sentence after her March 2025 conviction on wire fraud, conspiracy, and bribery charges.

The Feeding Our Future nonprofit, which Bock founded and ran, falsely claimed to have served tens of millions of meals to low-income children during the pandemic. Instead, the organization and its network of sites billed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s child nutrition programs for meals that were never provided. Much of the money funded luxury cars, jewelry, real estate, and other personal expenses for participants, nearly all from Minnesota’s Somali-American community.

Bock noted that Omar co-introduced the MEALS Act in 2020, which gave the USDA flexibility to waive normal oversight rules for school meal programs during the pandemic. She also pointed out that Omar and members of her office visited some of the meal sites and that her congressional office had direct communications with Feeding Our Future staff about program approvals.

Court exhibits from Bock’s trial show Omar’s name appearing at least six times in emails and text messages connected to the operation. One email chain was titled “help with USDA food program,” and another referenced “Ilhan’s Office.” Bock said she never spoke directly to Omar but dealt with staff in her office about site approvals and program operations.

Omar has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the fraud and has condemned the misuse of funds. Her office has not responded to Bock’s latest comments. Minnesota Democrats have blocked state legislative efforts to obtain additional records from Omar’s office.

The scandal is one of the largest COVID relief fraud cases in the country. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 70 people connected to the scheme. Bock and co-defendant Salim Said were convicted after a six-week trial in which evidence showed the operation submitted claims for 91 million meals that were never served.

Bock, who is awaiting final sentencing, told the Post she wished she had done things differently but maintained that state and federal officials, including those tied to Omar, approved the sites and failed to provide adequate oversight.

The comments come as Republicans continue to press for full accountability in the Feeding Our Future case and question whether political connections in Minnesota’s Somali community helped shield the operation from early detection. Omar has faced previous scrutiny over her association with individuals later convicted in the fraud.

The interview marks the first time Bock has directly implicated a sitting member of Congress in having knowledge of the scheme. The story is developing.