MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� A jury found the alleged ringleader of a in Minnesota guilty on all counts Wednesday for her role in a scheme that federal prosecutors say stole $250 million from a program meant to feed children in need.
鈥� founder of Feeding our Future, the group at the heart of the plot 鈥� was one of 70 defendants charged in the overall case, which prosecutors said was against COVID-19 relief programs.
The Minnesota case has also drawn attention for an attempt to bribe a juror in an earlier trial and witness tampering in Bock's trial, which began last month. Thirty-seven defendants have already pleaded guilty, while in a group of defendants who were tried last year.
The jury also convicted a co-defendant, Salim Ahmed Said, owner of the now-defunct Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis.
Bock, 44, and Said, 36, were charged with multiple counts involving conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. Said was also charged with money laundering. Bock allegedly pocketed nearly $2 million, while Said was accused of taking around $5 million. They both maintained their innocence and testified at trial.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered them both held without bail pending their sentencing, for which she did not set a date.
鈥淚t was the largest COVID fraud scheme in the country, and what Bock and and her co-defendants did was reprehensible.鈥� Lisa Kirkpatrick the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at a news conference afterward.
鈥淒uring COVID, while so many were trying to be helpers, Bock and Said were thieves,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭hey used a time of crisis as their golden opportunity to enrich themselves and their criminal partners 鈥� outlandishly so. At every step of the way, Bock fought to keep her fraud scheme going. Today her efforts to lie, to blame others, to escape responsibility, all came to an end.鈥�
Lead prosecutor Joe Thomson called the scheme 鈥渂razen and corrupt鈥� and told reporters it tarnished Minnesota's reputation for good governance and civic mindedness as well as its high quality of life and low crime.
鈥淭he Feeding Our Future case has come to symbolize the problem of fraud in our state,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚t has become the shame of Minnesota. Hopefully today鈥檚 verdict will help turn the page in this awful chapter in our state鈥檚 history.鈥�
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who from Republicans who said his administration the fraud earlier, told reporters he remains 鈥渇urious鈥� with 鈥渃riminals that preyed on the system that was meant to feed children.鈥� But he pointed out that nobody in state government, which administered the federal funding, was ever charged in the case.
鈥淲e just need to make sure that we put up more firewalls, more security, more ability to make sure that these criminals aren鈥檛 able to prey on this,鈥� Walz said.
Thompson said authorities have recovered only about $60 million of the $250 million that was stolen. He declined to speculate on what prosecutors might recommend for sentences but said Bock and Said face 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� prison time.
The defendants are being tried in several groups. The was marred by an alleged attempt by some defendants and people linked with them to with a bag of $120,000 in cash. That juror . That led to tighter security for Bock鈥檚 trial and additional precautions ordered by the judge.
Despite all that, an surfaced midway through the proceedings. A defendant scheduled for trial in August approached a government witness who was due to testify against Bock and Said and asked to speak with him in a courthouse bathroom. That witness declined and instead told his lawyer, who informed prosecutors.
That defendant, Abdinasir Abshir, 32, of Lakeville, soon agreed to and to have his tampering attempt factored into a longer sentencing recommendation, which isn鈥檛 binding on the judge.
Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
