Convicted Feeding Our Future founder claims Ilhan Omar knew about $250M Covid-era meal fraud

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Aimee Bock, the convicted founder of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, has accused Rep Ilhan Omar of knowing about Minnesota’s massive $250 million Covid-era meal fraud scheme during a jailhouse interview conducted this week.

Bock, who was convicted in March 2025 on conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud charges, spoke by video call from Sherburne County Jail while awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking a 100-year prison sentence against her.

“I struggle to believe that she wouldn’t have known,” Bock told the New York Post while speaking about Omar’s alleged awareness of the fraud operation tied to pandemic-era child nutrition programs.

Aimee Bock claims Ilhan Omar helped keep meal waivers active

Bock alleged Omar played a major role in helping continue pandemic-era meal waivers that later became central to the fraud scheme.

According to her, the congresswoman's MEALS Act in March 2020 helped loosen oversight rules for federal child meal programs during the pandemic. The relaxed rules apparently allowed restaurants to participate without normal inspections.

“There had been a couple times early on that there were some gaps,” Bock claimed while discussing waiver renewals. 

“Because of course this was supposed to be a short-term thing . . . we were supposed to be home for two weeks,” she added.

Bock also claimed Feeding Our Future exchanged emails with Omar’s office regarding those waivers.

The congresswoman’s name reportedly appeared several times in emails and text messages introduced during Bock’s federal trial.

Safari restaurant and Somali community connections drew attention

Bock said many restaurant operators involved in the program belonged to Minnesota’s Somali community, which heavily overlaps with Omar’s congressional district.

“A lot of the sites were working directly with her,” she claimed.

One restaurant repeatedly mentioned was Safari Restaurant, where Omar filmed a promotional video in May 2020, claiming, "Every day Safari provides 2,300 meals to children and their families.”

By July that year, the restaurant allegedly claimed it was feeding 5,000 children daily. Its co-owner, Salim Said, was later convicted of defrauding the government out of $16 million.

Bock also alleged Minnesota officials ignored repeated warnings about suspicious activity tied to the meal program.

“I have the emails that show that I told you, so you knew,” she remarked.

Minnesota lawmakers seek more scrutiny over fraud case

The controversy has now drawn political attention after Minnesota’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee reportedly asked the House Oversight Committee to subpoena Omar over communications tied to the fraud investigation.

The committee’s report this week reportedly concluded Omar, along with Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, “played critical roles in creating and enabling” the fraud.

Bock, meanwhile, continues to deny knowingly participating in the scheme and insists she became a scapegoat in the case.

“That’s my biggest regret,” she said. “Accepting the answer that the government doesn’t take a position on fraud.”