SAINT PAUL, Minn — The former executive director of Feeding our Future, Aimee Bock, appeared in Ramsey County civil court on Thursday morning as the federal prosecutor in charge of the $250 million child meal fraud case asked a judge to put the civil case between Bock and the Minnesota Department of Education on hold until she stands trial in federal court on her criminal charges.
Bock is the top name on the U.S. Attorney's Office’s indictments alleging 70 people defrauded the government by taking money that was meant to feed children in need during the pandemic.
Five months after she was charged with wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy, MDE sued Bock and Feeding our Future to try to recoup attorney fees stemming from a prior legal action Feeding our Future took amidst the alleged fraud.
In return, Bock filed a counterclaim alleging that MDE inflicted emotional distress, interfered with a business relationship, and violated the Minnesota Data Practices Act.
Last month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson filed a motion asking the judge to stay discovery in the civil case, which means stopping the exchange of evidence between Bock and MDE. In the motion, Thompson raises the potential of Bock using the discovery process in the civil case to attempt to depose prosecution witnesses in the federal criminal case -- in a sense, hearing their testimony before it comes out in court.
Bock’s federal trial is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2025.
In a motion hearing Thursday morning, all sides agreed to pause the discovery process until after the criminal trial so that evidentiary material does not overlap.
Thompson told the Ramsey County judge he would expect the trial to finish by the end of March.
Feeding our Future is now a defunct organization. Attorney Jennifer Urban told the judge she is essentially representing Feeding our Future (not Aimee Bock) for free and would like her to rule on summary judgment in the case in the meantime.
