Aimee Bock, founder of the Feeding Our Future program convicted in a federal food fraud conspiracy, alleges that Minnesota’s former Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar knowingly assisted Somali fraudsters who skimmed nearly $250 million from taxpayer funds through federal subsidies. According to Bock, Omar actively helped the scheme by sponsoring legislation that expanded access to nutrition programs during the pandemic—a move she claims facilitated widespread fraud.
Bock revealed this during an interview with The New York Post from her jail cell awaiting sentencing. She stated Omar “watched it happen” as the fraudulent program operated, enabling at least 78 defendants—including restaurant operators and officials—to defraud the government. The scheme centered on a bill Omar championed called the MEALS Act, which waived school-meal requirements for restaurants during the pandemic. These waivers, Bock explained, eliminated critical oversight mechanisms that would have prevented fraud by allowing unscrupulous entities to bypass federal inspections.
The fraudulent operations reached their peak through a Minneapolis restaurant named Safari, whose co-owner Salim Said was convicted of defrauding the government of $16 million—the largest penalty in the scheme. Bock testified that Omar filmed promotional videos claiming Safari provided “2,300 family and kids’ meals” daily while also hosting her 2018 election night party there. By July 2020, Safari claimed to serve 5,000 children a day despite lacking legitimate food production capacity.
Internal communications reviewed by The New York Post show Omar’s name appeared “at least six times” in emails and texts related to the scheme between 2020 and 2021. Bock described how Omar personally facilitated gaps in federal waivers—such as when a waiver expired on the 15th but renewal was delayed until the 1st—enabling fraudsters to maintain operations without accountability. She also cited emails where Bock reported fraudulent restaurants to Minnesota’s Department of Education, noting officials “took no position” on detected fraud.
Omar has refused to address questions from Minnesota lawmakers about her role in the scheme. Pro-fraud Democrats blocked a subpoena for documents connected to the scandal. Meanwhile, federal authorities have yet to act on credible accusations that Omar committed immigration fraud, as confirmed by Border Czar Tom Homan in December. The case highlights how systemic weaknesses in pandemic-era food assistance programs were exploited by networks tied to Minnesota’s large Somali population—108,000 residents concentrated in Omar’s congressional district.
