Nonprofit's Leader Convicted of Siphoning Off $240M in Federal Food Aid

After Wednesday’s verdicts were read, Judge Nancy Brasel ordered that Ms. Bock and Mr. Said remain in jail to await their sentencing, according to a report from the courtroom by The Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom. The charges carry potential sentences of more than a decade in prison. The fraud scheme targeted two programs meant to feed hungry children, which were funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but administered by the state of Minnesota. The system relied on nonprofit groups called “sponsors” to be its watchdogs. They were supposed to oversee individual kitchens and feeding sites and make sure they were not inflating the number of children they served. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the federal government flooded money into the program — trying to reach children who were out of school and therefore unable to rely on school lunches. The government also relaxed oversight, putting even more trust in the watchdogs. In this case, prosecutors said, one of those watchdog ... Read full article.