By Ward Clark. Media: Redstate
Last summer, we reported on the fraud investigation into a COVID-era Minnesota non-profit called “Feeding Our Future.” That organization, which was ostensibly started to feed hungry kids during the COVID-19 debacle, was the subject of a legislative audit in mid-2024 that revealed “opportunities for fraud,” to the tune of $250 million.
They could have fed a lot of kids with $250 million. And, we might note, that 70 people were charged with taking that money and not feeding kids with it. Then, a month later, the House Education and the Workforce Committee subpoenaed Minnesota Governor and then-vice presidential candidate Tim Walz to hand over documents related to the scandal.
The clip says in part:
…this signals that the feds are not finished investigating new suspects in the $250 million pandemic fraud. Yesterday morning the FBI raided the office of a non-profit whose board of directors included some movers and shakers in the business community. A nondescript office in a building within an industrial park on Vandalia Street in St. Paul, is the home of New Vision Foundation, a non-profit that works with disadvantaged youth by teaching coding and digital literacy. The company has even received kudos from Mayor Melvin Carter. But now, according to an unsealed search warrant, they are the latest focus for federal investigators in the $250 million Feeding Our Future meal program fraud case.
An exhibit from former Feeding Our Future Executive Director Amy Bock’s trial shows that they paid New Vision Foundation more than $2.5 million in taxpayer money in 2021, after New Vision claimed to serve more than one million meals to children. But according to the search warrant, the FBI belived the meal count sheets such as these claiming to feed more than 3,000 kids two meals every day are phony.
Workers at the electronics recycling site that leases New Vision the office told the feds they never saw any children either being served meals or otherwise. Another red flag pointed out in the search warrant, allegedly phony invoices, claiming they bought their food from a supposed food service company located within Eden Prairie, that actually turned out to be an apartment.
This isn’t just fraud, if all these allegations are true. It’s lazy, incompetent fraud. And, we might add, this investigation seems to be like an onion, just one smelly, tear-inducing layer after another.
See our earlier coverage:
There is, as yet, no evidence that Governor Walz was directly involved. But the House committee did subpoena records from his office. And the Minnesota Department of Education, which was in charge of this COVID-era program, answers to the governor.
Governor Walz was in charge of these people. His name is on the blame line. And in a massive fraud like this, a lot of people should be under investigation, and that investigation should go to the very top. If Walz is implicated, then that should be known; if he is not, then that should be known as well. The taxpayers have a right to some answers.
This remains a developing story. We will bring you updates as events warrant; as my colleague Becca Lower noted last summer, we will have to do it, as the legacy media sure won’t pay too much mind to a scandal in a deep-blue state like Minnesota. Stay tuned!
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