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-Lurid Crime Tales-
More about Feeding Our Future mastermind Aimee Bock and 15 others
2026-05-22
[CBSnews] Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota, was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison on Thursday.

The judge handed Bock a 500-month sentence and ordered her to repay nearly $243 million to the federal government.
Yesterday we wondered about the ill-gotten gains…
Last year, a jury found her guilty on multiple criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Prosecutors said she orchestrated the largest pandemic fraud case in the country, which diverted tens of millions in government money meant to feed hungry children.

"Aimee Bock didn't participate in fraud, she orchestrated it, profited on it," Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebeca Kline said before the sentencing.
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pretty severe for a non violent crime, I expected more like 10-15 years; I called it under Africa Horn because so many Somalis were involved and under seedy politicians because so many prevented criminal discovery
Courtesy of Skidmark, Fox News liveblogged the story yesterday :
THE LATEST LIVE
  • The Justice Department announced 15 charges of a total of $90 million in Minnesota fraud schemes.

  • Feeding Our Future mastermind Aimee Bock gets 41 1/2 years and must pay $243 million in restitution.

  • JD Vance, President Donald Trump's fraud czar, is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for immigration fraud amid brother-marriage allegations.

  • Omar tells Fox News Digital that allegations of ties to fraud schemes are 'flat-out false.'

  • Trump's anti-fraud task force is working to prosecute $250 billion in government waste, fraud and abuse.


DOJ unveils names behind massive Medicaid and benefits fraud crackdown
Federal prosecutors on Thursday identified the defendants charged in Minnesota’s sweeping Medicaid and benefits fraud crackdown, accusing operators of autism centers, housing assistance companies and child care programs of collectively stealing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars through fraudulent reimbursement schemes.

The charges span multiple Minnesota assistance programs and include allegations of health care fraud, money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors allege the schemes involved fake autism service claims, inflated housing support reimbursements and fraudulent child care payments, with intended losses totaling more than $90 million.

Shamso Ahmed Hassan, 55, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, 25, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., false statements related to health care matters and money laundering in connection with an alleged $46.6 million autism services fraud scheme, of which prosecutors say approximately $21.2 million was paid.

Charles Wayne Healey, 61, and Katherin Suzan Larsen-Guthmiller, 66, both of Blue Earth, Minnesota, were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering tied to an alleged $22.7 million Medicaid reimbursement scheme involving Individualized Home Supports services.

Deborah Hodges, 59, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud in connection with an alleged $5.3 million Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, of which approximately $5.2 million was paid.

Ahmed Othman Kadar, 22, of Rosemount, Minnesota, was charged with three counts of health care fraud and two counts of money laundering tied to an alleged $1.4 million Integrated Community Supports fraud scheme.

Sharmaine Meadows, 45, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, was charged with three counts of health care fraud involving alleged fraudulent Housing Stabilization Services claims totaling more than $4.3 million, of which nearly $3.7 million was paid.

Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar, 32, of Roseville, Minnesota, and Ibrahim Bashir Abdi, 25, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud tied to an alleged $3.3 million Housing Stabilization Services fraud scheme, of which approximately $3.2 million was paid.

Jillaine Ann Mertens, 42, of Hamel, Minnesota, was charged with wire fraud in connection with alleged fraudulent child care reimbursement claims totaling approximately $425,000.

Cynthia Allen, 62, and Candice Langley, 46, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were charged with health care fraud conspiracy involving alleged inflated and falsified Housing Stabilization Services claims totaling approximately $3.5 million paid by Minnesota Medicaid.

Mustafa Dayib, 22, and Abdulbasit Ibrahim, 22, both of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were charged with health care fraud conspiracy tied to alleged false Housing Stabilization Services claims totaling approximately $975,000.

Fahima Mahamud, 50, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. in connection with alleged Feeding Our Future and child care assistance fraud schemes totaling approximately $5.48 million.

Miller says Trump administration is re-vetting Biden-era immigrants amid fraud crackdown
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Thursday it should be easier to denaturalize immigrants involved in welfare fraud as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on abuse within taxpayer-funded programs.

“It should be far easier to denaturalize people, including for welfare fraud, including for criminal activity,” Miller said. “It should be far easier to terminate immigration benefits for individuals who are on the public dole, who are on public assistance, who are receiving public benefits, and then general immigration policy should focus on admitting those who we know from history and experience and common sense are going to be able to be fully contributing members of American society.”

Miller’s remarks came hours after the Justice Department announced charges against 15 defendants accused of participating in Minnesota Medicaid fraud schemes involving more than $90 million in alleged fraudulent claims tied to autism services, housing support and child care programs.

He also said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is re-vetting individuals admitted under the Biden administration “to determine who should have never been admitted in the first place so they can be sent home,” while arguing Congress should codify and expand President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

DOJ says Minnesota Medicaid fraud crackdown is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’
The Justice Department said Thursday that its sweeping Minnesota Medicaid fraud crackdown is only “the tip of the iceberg” as federal authorities unveiled criminal charges against 15 defendants accused of stealing more than $90 million from taxpayer-funded programs intended to help vulnerable Americans.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the defendants allegedly “ripped off the American taxpayer” while exploiting programs meant to serve children with autism, disabled adults and low-income families.

“The DOJ Fraud Division, along with the White House’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, will dismantle illegal schemes from coast-to-coast, just as they did today in Minnesota,” Blanche said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Federal officials also announced a major expansion of the DOJ Health Care Fraud Section, including 15 new prosecutors who will be deployed across the country to combat Medicaid fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said Minnesota exposed “a significant increase in Medicaid fraud across the country,” while FBI Director Kash Patel called the indictments “a massive moment” in the administration’s anti-fraud push.

Owner of daycare in viral Nick Shirley video charged in $4.6M daycare fraud scheme, prosecutors say
A woman allegedly tied to Minnesota's massive "Feeding Our Future" scandal has been charged in a daycare fraud scheme after being featured in a viral video by influencer Nick Shirley, authorities said.

She is accused of pocketing millions of dollars meant for children's meals.

Fahima Egeh Mahamud was charged Wednesday with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to court documents.

Earlier this year, Mahamud was indicted for her alleged role in the initial $250 million "Feeding Our Future" scheme. Prosecutors allege she enrolled Future Leaders Early Learning — a Minneapolis daycare where she served as CEO — into the federal child nutrition program, falsely claiming to serve thousands of meals at her childcare center.

Labor Department ramps up pandemic unemployment fraud crackdown after estimated $135B stolen
The Department of Labor is intensifying its crackdown on unemployment insurance fraud after an estimated $135 billion in pandemic-era benefits was stolen, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling told Fox Business.

Sonderling calls it one of the largest fraud schemes involving taxpayer dollars in U.S. history.

“People are sick and tired of getting their hard-earned taxpayer dollars stolen,” Sonderling said in Washington, D.C. “And it’s enough — not just the fraud, waste, and abuse — but actual theft of taxpayer dollars.”

Sonderling said fraudsters exploited weak verification systems during the pandemic by using stolen Social Security numbers, filing claims in multiple states and routing benefits through debit cards, fake bank accounts, fake email addresses and fake companies.

He said the abuse included more than $1 billion sent to Social Security numbers belonging to people under 14 years old, along with claims tied to people over 115, inmates and even someone listed as being born in 2154.

The department has already frozen more than $500 million in suspicious payments before the money could go out and identified more than $900 million sitting on prepaid debit cards tied to potential fraud, Sonderling said.

He said investigators are also targeting criminal networks, including foreign actors from China, North Korea and Africa, that allegedly used stolen identities to siphon American taxpayer dollars overseas.

Sonderling said the department is pushing states to adopt stricter identity-verification systems, share data across state lines and use AI-powered tools to spot suspicious patterns before benefits are paid.

“We’re done with paying first and verifying later,” he said, adding that states that fail to prevent fraud or share information will face “significant issues” with the Labor Department, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Related:
Minnesota: 2026-05-21 Woman at Center of Minn. Fraud Case Gets Nearly 42 Years in Prison
Minnesota: 2026-05-21 When there is just too much ‘latest’ news for 1 person
Minnesota: 2026-05-19 Ilhan Omar knew about $250m Somali fraud scheme, 'mastermind' claims from behind bars
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