Behind the Scheme
- Federal agents raided New Vision Foundation in Saint Paul, the latest twist in Minnesota’s ongoing child nutrition fraud saga.
- FBI alleges NVF falsified records, claiming to feed 1 million children—despite overwhelming red flags and eyewitness contradictions.
- The scandal underscores urgent calls for stronger oversight of taxpayer-funded meal programs and exposes a deepening crisis in public trust.
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
A Shocking Raid in Saint Paul—Exposing the Next Chapter of Minnesota’s Meal Fraud Crisis
SAINT PAUL, MN – Federal agents have once again descended on a Minnesota nonprofit—this time, the New Vision Foundation (NVF) in Saint Paul. The raid marks the latest development in an ever-expanding scandal over pandemic-era child nutrition funding, which has already ensnared dozens of individuals and organizations in what authorities describe as “brazen, systemic fraud.”
Just over a year since the bombshell Feeding Our Future case—a $250 million meal program swindle—rocked the state and made national headlines, NVF finds itself the focal point of an intensive federal investigation. According to the FBI, NVF’s records claiming it provided 1 million meals to hungry children in just eight months are “phony,”raising serious questions about how such large-scale deception could occur under the nose of government agencies.
For context, Feeding Our Future was once Minnesota’s largest sponsor of federally funded nutrition programs for children. But in early 2022, a sweeping investigation by the FBI and Department of Justice exposed an elaborate fraud. Prosecutors say scammers, led by founder Aimee Bock, fabricated invoices and rosters to siphon hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars meant to feed low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scope was staggering: 47 people indicted, $250 million allegedly stolen, and millions of meals claimed but never served. Aimee Bock, recently found guilty on all counts, now awaits sentencing—while 47 others face federal charges for their roles in the scheme.
Now, attention has turned to New Vision Foundation, a nonprofit with a stated mission to “create pathways to success by motivating disadvantaged youth in Minnesota through coding and digital literacy classes.” On the surface, NVF’s partnerships appear impressive: its website lists sponsorships from household names like 3M, Target, Wells Fargo, and even the City of Saint Paul.
But beneath the surface, investigators found troubling patterns all too familiar from the Feeding Our Future probe.
According to FBI Special Agent Travis Wilmer, who authored the search warrant, there were numerous signs that NVF’s reported activities simply did not add up:
