The woman prosecutors described as the “mastermind” behind a massive scheme that stole hundreds of millions in government aid was sentenced Thursday to nearly 42 years in prison.
Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock received a 500-month sentence just over a year after she was convicted of wire fraud and bribery.
“It’s a long sentence, and Aimee Bock did everything she could to earn it,” former assistant US Attorney Joe Thompson said outside the courthouse.
The longest sentence in the most notorious case of federal fraud in Minnesota came minutes before federal officials announced charges against 15 other people accused of defrauding social service programs in the state.
More than $250 million in federal funds was taken in the Feeding Our Future scheme overall, with only about $50 million of it recovered, authorities have said. Bock was ordered to personally pay more than $242 million in restitution.
“No matter how you cut it, it is a massive figure,” said Matthew Ebert, another prosecutor who brought the case forward.
“I don’t have the words to express just how horrible I feel. I know I’m responsible,” Bock told the judge shortly before sentencing Thursday, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis and a former federal prosecutor, said Bock’s sentence was particularly harsh because the crime involved a coordinated effort that affected taxpayers and children, unlike other scams where investors are the victims.
“If I’m paying my taxes and it ends up going to scammers or taking food from kids, there’s something really a little more sinister there,” Osler told CNN. “The sentencing guidelines are largely driven by the amount of the loss, and here you’ve got a really high number on that.”
One purpose of a long prison sentence in a white-collar case is deterrence, Osler said. Bock’s role in the fraud was another factor.
Richard Painter, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, was not surprised by Bock’s sentence.
This happened over an extended period of time, and saying you’re giving food to children and taking the money is about as horrific as you can get for white-collar crime,” he said.
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