Kickbacks, fake signatures, and a bartender ‘board chair’

The federal fraud trial of Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, and co-conspirator Salim Said continued Tuesday with several more government witnesses, as the defense worked to shift responsibility onto state agencies for failing to prevent fraudulent claims.

The U.S. government alleges that Bock orchestrated a $250 million fraud scheme, manipulating federal child nutrition programs by fraudulently reporting millions of meals served to children while misappropriating the funds for personal gain.

Bock faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, bribery, and three separate counts of wire fraud.

MDE admits to approving meal claims despite concerns 

The second day of testimony opened with Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Nutrition Program Director Emily Honer returning to the stand to discuss her department’s oversight of federal meal reimbursement programs.

During questioning by Bock’s defense attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, Honer acknowledged that while MDE had concerns about some meal claims, the agency still approved them.

“I was questioning all of the meals,” Honer said on the stand.

“Nevertheless, you approved them,” Udoibok responded.

“That is correct.”

The defense appeared to argue that MDE’s reliance on automated approval systems, rather than human oversight, played a major role in allowing fraud to occur.

Honer also testified that she had concerns about Safari Restaurant, co-owned by Said, before it was approved as a meal site, but despite those concerns, MDE still signed off on it.

“I didn’t feel I had the evidence of the concerns,” she testified.

Laughter in the courtroom as bartender ‘board chair’ testifies 

The trial took an unexpected turn when Benjamin Stayberg, a career bartender from Hudson, Wisc., testified that he had been unknowingly named as the board chair of Feeding Our Future.

Stayberg recalled meeting Bock years ago at a bar in St. Paul, where he worked. He said Bock once asked him to sign what he thought was a simple petition, but years later, he was shocked to learn his name appeared as the organization’s board president.

“They called me. I had no idea what they were talking about,” Stayberg said on the stand.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson then presented documents and an organizational chart listing Stayberg as the board president.

“Big shoes,” Stayberg quipped, prompting laughter in the courtroom.

Thompson also introduced training documents allegedly signed by Stayberg.

“Do you know anything about approving sites or even what the [Child and Adult Care Food Program] is?” Thompson asked.

“No clue,” Stayberg replied.

Prosecutors also revealed that another bartender, John Senkler, was listed as the board secretary, prompting Stayberg to laugh.

Thompson then asked, “Do you doubt John Senkler served on a board of directors?”

“Have you met him?” asked Stayberg, again drawing laughter.

“He’s the last person you’d think would be in that position … him and I like to party.”

Lul Ali admits to falsifying meal counts, using fraud proceeds for homes and cars 

Former restaurant owner Lul Ali testified that she stole millions of dollars through Feeding Our Future, following instructions from Bock and another employee of the organization.

Ali, who pleaded guilty last year to defrauding the federal government of more than $5 million, became emotional as she testified about her involvement in the scheme.

“She destroyed us as a community,” Ali said of Bock, who she said encouraged other Somali families to participate in the fraud.

Ali, who came to the United States after fleeing Somalia’s civil war, settled in Minnesota in 2001 and later opened Lido Restaurant in Faribault. The restaurant had fewer than 10 tables and primarily provided takeout meals for workers at the local Jennie-O Turkey plant.

Shortly after opening, Ali said a man named “Shafi” approached her, offering an opportunity to sell food to Feeding Our Future.

“‘You’ll make more money than anybody,’” Ali testified he told her.

Ali said Shafi then introduced her to Bock, who encouraged her to apply for the program.

Ali said she was hesitant, thinking it was unrealistic to provide 1,000 meals per day when her restaurant typically served only 50 to 60. However, Shafi urged her to fill out the application on the spot. The next day, he informed her she was approved to start immediately, according to Ali’s testimony.

$30,000 monthly payments to Bock and Eidleh 

The prosecution presented evidence of Ali’s falsified reporting, including emails to Feeding Our Future in 2021 detailing meal counts and invoices, meal count reports from summer 2020 in which she claimed to have served 900 to 1,000 meals per day—later admitting those numbers were entirely fabricated—and “clicker” logs she filled out herself to justify 7,000 meals served in a single week.

Ali testified that she eventually worked directly with Feeding Our Future employee Abdikerm Eidleh—agreeing to pay him and Bock a $30,000 monthly kickback in exchange for Feeding Our Future sponsoring the Lido Restaurant in the government program.

Each time Eidleh came to collect the money—always in cash—at her restaurant, he would call Bock on FaceTime to confirm that he had received it.

Ali testified that Bock encouraged her to open more food sites. She said that Bock told her it was the “American Dream” to make a lot of money.

Ali became emotional as she recalled the moment FBI agents approached her about the fraud.

“I’ll never forget that day. I’m sorry,” she said before bursting into tears.

Ali has yet to be sentenced for her role in the fraud.

As for Eidleh, Ali testified that he left the United States sometime after Lido closed in 2021. She said she does not know his whereabouts and has not spoken to him since.

Bank officer says Safari Restaurant’s finances raised red flags 

The last witness of the day, Kevin Erdman, a Corporate Bank Secrecy Act officer at Associated Bank, said the bank flagged financial activity linked to Safari Restaurant and related businesses.

Erdman explained that the bank monitors customer accounts for irregularities and looks for signs that funds are being used as intended. In this case, the restaurant claimed to be feeding thousands of children per day, but instead of paying food suppliers, large cash withdrawals were being made by account holders.

Due to these concerns, Associated Bank shut down the accounts in October 2020 to avoid potential violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.

During cross-examination, Erdman confirmed that Bock did not have an account with Associated Bank and that the bank’s risk assessments are internal evaluations, not definitive proof of fraud.

Trial continues 

Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday as prosecutors call more government witnesses.

Jenna Gloeb

Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.