Court clears path to seize millions in assets from Feeding Our Future ringleader
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A federal judge has approved a preliminary order that could allow the government to seize cash, property and a luxury vehicle from Aimee Bock, the ringleader of the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
The order, signed Tuesday, is not final. A permanent decision on forfeiture will come at Bock’s sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Bock was convicted in March of orchestrating a scheme that exploited federal child nutrition programs and fleeced taxpayers out of about $250 million.
The forfeiture motion was filed by the U.S. attorney’s office. Assets tied to Bock that could be seized include about $3.7 million in bank accounts and cash, a 2013 Porsche, and electronics, clothing and jewelry taken during a 2022 search of her home.
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The total forfeiture judgment against Bock is listed at $5.2 million.
Dozens of other defendants have been charged or convicted in the case.
Jurors deliberated about five hours last March before finding Bock guilty on all seven counts against her.
At that time, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Bock and another defendant jailed and did not set a date for sentencing. “The fraud scheme was based on deception,” and the pair could use similar deception to flee now that they’re facing "a significant sentence,” Brasel said after the verdict.
The trial included 20 days of testimony over more than five weeks. Federal prosecutors described Bock as someone who saw an opportunity to cash in as the COVID crisis gripped Minnesota and the nation.
"The jury saw overwhelming evidence of what Bock knew," lead prosecutor Joe Thompson told reporters following the verdicts.
