Minnesota Deserves Better: Stopping Fraud, Protecting Taxpayers, and Telling the Truth
Fraud is not an abstract issue in Minnesota; it is something every taxpayer has paid for and every honest public servant now has to help clean up. From the Feeding Our Future scandal to other abuses of public programs, Minnesotans have seen what happens when systems fail and opportunists move in. I hate fraud and fraudsters, and I believe it will be one of the defining issues of this campaign season.
Why fraud is personal for Minnesotans
When someone steals from a public program, they are stealing twice: once from every taxpayer, and again from the children, families, and vulnerable Minnesotans those dollars were supposed to help. That betrayal demands serious accountability.
Feeding Our Future: What Really Happened
The Feeding Our Future scandal is one of the largest fraud cases in Minnesota history. Prosecutors allege that more than 250 million dollars meant to feed children during the pandemic was stolen, with a federal estimate that total fraud could exceed 350 million dollars. As of early 2025, roughly 75 million dollars had been recovered, and by 2026 at least 65 of 79 defendants had been found guilty, many through plea deals.
This spring, Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock was sentenced to 500 months—more than 41 years—in prison and ordered to pay over 240 million dollars in restitution for her role in the scheme. Those decades‑long sentences send a message I support: if you steal from Minnesota’s children and taxpayers, you will face painful, life‑altering consequences.
How Outdated Systems Helped Spread Fraud
While there is no excuse for fraud, there are explanations for how it was able to spread and why it was not caught sooner. Investigations and bipartisan reporting have noted that some social service and eligibility systems in Minnesota still rely on software dating back to the 1980s, making it harder to spot suspicious patterns that modern systems would flag quickly. Contemporary tools that can automatically detect anomalies in billing and enrollment simply were not in place.
There is broad agreement among Republicans and Democrats that these outdated systems contributed to the problem, and lawmakers have since approved tens of millions of dollars to upgrade technology and tighten oversight. That work should have happened sooner—but it must continue now, not later.
What the State Did Once Fraud Was Detected
Another important piece of context is what happened once the state began to suspect fraud in the Feeding Our Future program. In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Education moved to freeze payments after red flags emerged, but Feeding Our Future sued, and a Ramsey County judge held the state in contempt, ordering payments to resume. The legal system, not just the executive branch, played a role in how long the funding continued.
That does not absolve anyone of responsibility, and Minnesotans deserved clearer communication and stronger urgency from leaders across the board. But it does matter that state officials tried to act and were blocked in court—because it shapes how we fix the system going forward.
The Risks of Outsourcing Critical Public Programs
Feeding Our Future also highlights a broader policy risk: our growing reliance on private intermediaries to administer programs that used to be handled directly by public institutions. In the past, many school meal programs were run by school districts and staffed by food service workers whose mission was to serve kids in their own communities.
When that work is outsourced to third‑party sponsors and loosely monitored nonprofits, the distance between taxpayer dollars and the children they are meant to serve widens. I believe we should prioritize models where schools and trusted public partners are in the lead, with transparency and oversight built in from day one.
DFL‑led Reforms to Prevent Future Attempts at Fraud
I am proud that DFL legislators have moved aggressively in recent sessions to crack down on fraud and strengthen oversight of public funds. Recent laws and budget investments have:
Required full repayment of stolen funds and expanded the state’s power to block bad actors from getting new grants.
Invested more than 13 million dollars in modern tools at the Department of Human Services to detect fraud before payments go out, and 8.18 million dollars for an electronic attendance and record‑keeping system in the Child Care Assistance Program to prevent fake billing.
Added investigators and legal staff at the Minnesota Department of Education and raised standards for food program sponsors so new sites and nonprofits face stronger vetting.
Expanded whistleblower protections for state employees who report fraud and misuse and created a new division in the Office of the Legislative Auditor to conduct special reviews and enforcement.
These are not talking points; they are concrete changes that make it easier to catch fraud early, shut down bad actors, and protect honest organizations serving Minnesotans.
How Minnesotans Can Report Suspected Fraud
Stopping fraud is a team effort, and Minnesotans deserve clear, simple ways to raise concerns. The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) accepts allegations about the possible misuse of state money and other public resources, including noncompliance with state law. You can:
Use the OLA’s secure online allegation form through the state auditor’s website.
Mail a completed allegation form to the Office of the Legislative Auditor, 140 Centennial Building, 658 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55155, Attention: Katherine Theisen.
Call 651‑201‑2052 to report allegations of wrongdoing.
I support strong whistleblower protections and clear reporting pathways so people who see something feel safe to say something.
Trump’s Rhetoric on Fraud vs. His Record
Some politicians claim to be “tough on fraud” when it suits their message, then look the other way when it is politically convenient. In 2025, Donald Trump pointed to the Feeding Our Future scandal while announcing plans to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali residents in Minnesota and promoting a federal enforcement push branded as Operation Metro Surge.
But data later showed that less than 3 percent of people arrested in Operation Metro Surge were Somali, and none had ties to Feeding Our Future. Ending TPS for an entire community based on a fraud case that did not implicate that community is not about protecting taxpayers; it is about scapegoating.
Trump’s Own Fraud Liabilities and Pardons
At the same time, Donald Trump has his own well‑documented history with fraud and leniency for white‑collar offenders. In 2023, a New York court found Trump, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization liable for persistent business fraud, and while an appeals court later reduced an initial 450‑million‑dollar penalty as excessive, the underlying fraud liability remained in place pending ongoing appeals.
Beyond his own civil fraud case, Trump granted or offered clemency to dozens of people convicted of fraud, money laundering, and related offenses while in office, wiping away or shortening sentences and eliminating large restitution obligations that victims relied on. That kind of double standard—harsh rhetoric for political opponents, quiet favors for well‑connected white‑collar criminals—is exactly what erodes public trust.
What Real Accountability Should Look Like
I believe Minnesotans deserve a consistent, principled approach: if you steal from the public, you are held accountable, no matter how powerful your friends are. That includes:
Tough sentences for those convicted of major fraud schemes, like the decades‑long prison term now imposed in the Feeding Our Future case.
Full repayment of stolen funds wherever possible and aggressive asset recovery, including overseas, so taxpayers and victims are not left holding the bag.
Stronger systems, updated technology, and transparent reporting rules so future fraud is caught early and never reaches the scale Minnesotans just witnessed.
Crime and fraud should never pay—especially not for people with the best lobbyists or the closest relationships to politicians in power.
Why This Matters for the Campaign
This election is about whether we respond to fraud with serious reforms and equal justice, or with soundbites and scapegoating. I stand with Minnesotans who want modern systems, strong whistleblower protections, real prison time and restitution for proven fraudsters, and respect for the communities that were unfairly blamed along the way.
I am honored to have earned DFL support because of that agenda—protecting taxpayers, centering victims, and insisting on honest leadership—is exactly what our party’s recent anti‑fraud legislation has started to deliver.
With your help, we can build on those reforms and make sure Minnesota never sees another scandal on the scale of Feeding Our Future again.
