A convicted fraudster serving time for orchestrating a massive child nutrition fraud scheme claims Representative Ilhan Omar’s office actively helped enable the scam by securing federal waivers that eliminated oversight and allowed fraudulent billing to continue uninterrupted.

Jailhouse Accusations From Convicted Organizer

Aimee Bock, founder of Feeding Our Future, spoke from Sherburne County Jail where she awaits sentencing after her March 2025 conviction on conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud charges. Bock told the New York Post that Omar’s office repeatedly intervened to secure and extend USDA waivers that dramatically loosened oversight of child nutrition programs during the pandemic. Those waivers eliminated site inspection requirements and allowed restaurants and non-school entities to participate, creating conditions that enabled massive fraudulent billing. Dozens of individuals, mostly from Minnesota’s community, have been convicted in the scheme that fraudulently billed the federal government for tens of millions of meals never served to low-income children.

Omar’s Direct Connection To Fraud Sites

Omar personally introduced the Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act in March 2020, which gave the USDA authority to issue the waivers. According to Bock, multiple gaps occurred when waivers were set to expire, and Omar’s office helped bridge them so fraudulent billing could continue. Omar’s name appeared at least six times in emails and text messages entered as evidence during Bock’s federal trial. The congresswoman filmed a promotional video in May 2020 at Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, claiming the establishment provided 2,300 meals daily to children and families. By July 2020, Safari claimed 5,000 meals daily. Co-owner Salim Said has since been convicted of defrauding the government of $16 million, the largest single amount in the scheme.

State Investigation Targets Omar’s Role

The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee recently concluded that Omar, along with Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, played critical roles in creating and enabling the fraud. The committee has requested the U.S. House Oversight Committee subpoena Omar’s communications. Bock insisted she repeatedly warned Minnesota state officials about suspicious sites, including one claiming to serve 21,000 meals daily. In a 2021 email reviewed by the Post, the Minnesota Department of Education responded that it takes no position if fraud has taken place. Bock faces a potential 100-year sentence but argues she was scapegoated as the only non-community defendant among roughly 80 to 90 people charged. Omar’s office has not responded to requests for comment from media outlets.