MN Department Of Education Wants $583K From Feeding Our Future

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — The Minnesota Department of Education Thursday filed a claim seeking to recover $583,000 in state funds "used to defend the agency against Feeding Our Future’s dishonest legal attacks," officials said.

Feeding Our Future is accused of trying to scam $250 million from a federally-funded child nutrition program during the pandemic. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against 48 people in connection to nonprofit.

The federal funds were distributed through the MDE. But in March 2021, MDE paused all reimbursements to Feeding Our Future over suspected fraud.

"When the MDE stopped payments, Feeding Our Future hit back with accusations of racism and a sham lawsuit," the department said in a news release Thursday. "Because of Feeding Our Future’s misrepresentations in that lawsuit, a court instructed the payments to continue."

Education Commissioner Heather Mueller called Feeding Our Future's lawsuit a "baseless sham" and said she is seeking to return money for Minnesota's taxpayers.

"Yesterday’s DOJ and FBI announcement made it clear that MDE’s fast action and diligence launched the investigation that stopped the fraud and led to dozens of indictments," Mueller said in a statement.

"As part of the conspiracy identified in yesterday’s indictments, Aimee Bock and Feeding Our Future filed a meritless lawsuit accusing MDE of discrimination in order to continue their brazen scheme. That lawsuit was based on lies and was intended to intimidate MDE and distract from Feeding Our Future’s ongoing fraud."

Read the MDE's claim against Feeding Our Future here.

Also read: MN Nonprofit Stole Pandemic Aid Set Aside To Feed Kids: DOJ

Editor's note: Patch incorrectly stated that a Ramsey County judge ordered the state to restart payments to Feeding Our Future.