Feeding Our future federal trial and its impact on fraud charges for Minnesotans in state court

On February 10, 2025, opening statements in the trial of Aimee Bock began in federal court in Minneapolis, MN. She is accused of being the ringleader of the Feeding Our Future fraud that took a quarter of a billion dollars from the government. It was the largest COVID fraud in the nation.

The increasing tendency to charge fraud over small differences in money

You may think that this giant case has nothing to do with you and couldn’t possibly have an impact on you. But the wide net under which the government can charge fraud surprises most people. More and more Minnesotan’s are being charged with fraud for failing to file or pay their taxes over small differences in numbers. Minnesota statute 289A.63 causes most tax crimes to be charged as a felony. Additionally, the government is cracking down more and more on even small differences in what it calculates people are entitled to medical assistance and what they are actually receiving. Most people assume that this would be some type of thing where you just pay back the government, but the government is actually criminally charging people under Minnesota Statute 256.98.

Minnesota is planning to increase fraud investigation even more

The increase in charges for fraud, or what the government perceives rightly or wrongly as fraud, is likely to increase. There is bipartisan support in the Minnesota legislature to create a separate office of inspector general to investigate fraud. Governor Tim Walz is supporting a different option of creating a department within the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate fraud. There is no disagreement about wanting to increase fraud investigation and prosecution, but just how we get there. What that means is that more people are going to be charged. Which will help stymie some fraud. But the concern is that the innocent will be scooped up with the guilty in the State’s zeal to prosecute fraud. These are developments that are cause for scrutiny for 2025 and in the year to come. And these developments have been impacted greatly by Minnesota being subjected to the largest COVID fraud in the nation by the Feeding our Future scandal.

Conclusion

If you are charged with tax crimes, wrongfully obtaining assistance, or any sort of fraud crime, it is important to contact a skilled criminal defense attorney. The trends in charging fraud are shifting and increasing, and only a skilled criminal defense attorney will be able to protect your rights and advise you on how to navigate a complicated legal system. Contact Subzero Criminal Defense today for a free consultation. 651-248-5142