JUST IN: Tim Walz Implicated In Somali Scheme By Convicted Fraudster

A Minnesota woman convicted in one of the state’s largest fraud schemes is accusing top Democratic officials of knowing about massive abuse of taxpayer-funded programs long before federal prosecutors moved in.

Aimee Bock, the former head of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, told Fox News in a jailhouse interview from Sherburne County Jail that Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison were aware of red flags tied to the sprawling fraud but allowed payments to continue anyway.

Bock claimed state agencies approved sponsors in the federal child nutrition program and were responsible for monitoring claims, yet failed to act even after concerns were raised about suspicious operators.

“I honestly believe Keith Ellison and Gov. Walz need to be held accountable. There needs to be an investigation done. If they weren’t aware, that’s concerning,” Bock told Fox News.

Bock alleged she repeatedly flagged questionable companies, only to see the state continue approving and paying claims.

“I have to believe that the governor’s office and Keith Ellison’s office were aware of this. They’ve said they were involved in helping the FBI. They’ve said they were made aware, but apparently I’m scary, so they couldn’t do anything,” she said.

Ellison’s office fired back, dismissing Bock’s claims and attacking her credibility following her federal conviction.

“She is a liar, fraudster, and manipulator of the highest order who has never acknowledged or accepted her guilt. Now, she’s on a media tour to deflect her guilt onto others instead of finally taking responsibility for the fraud scheme she ran,” a spokesperson said.

“Federal and state investigators meticulously examined the crimes Bock and her accomplices committed,” the spokesperson added. “Bock alone is responsible for her own actions, which was proven in court beyond a shadow of a doubt, and her claim about Attorney General Ellison is a lie without a shred of evidence behind it.”

Federal prosecutors have said Feeding Our Future was at the center of a scheme that siphoned more than $250 million in taxpayer money meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sham restaurants were allegedly created to submit false reimbursement claims while defendants lived lavish lifestyles.

Walz’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The controversy comes as congressional investigators continue to scrutinize Minnesota’s fraud epidemic. The House Oversight Committee said earlier this month that the Department of Justice has charged 98 defendants in Minnesota-based fraud cases, with 64 already convicted.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said federal authorities have issued more than 1,750 subpoenas, executed over 130 search warrants and conducted more than 1,000 witness interviews as part of what he called a sweeping investigation.

Comer said prosecutors estimate at least $9 billion has been stolen across multiple fraud schemes in the state.

“The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking. And I fear it is just the tip of the iceberg. Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota’s Democratic leadership have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in these crimes,” Comer said. “They failed Minnesotans and all Americans, handing millions of taxpayers’ money to fraudsters.”

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