Saint Paul, Minnesota – A secretly recorded meeting one month before the $250 million Feeding our Future meal fraud was publicly revealed contradicts Attorney General Keith Ellison’s claims about how long he tried to shut down the scam.
The Center for the American Experiment, a conservative think tank, published the recording this week.
Unbeknownst to Ellison, a Feeding Our Future suspect recorded the meeting. The recording was listed on mastermind Aimee Bock’s exhibit list, but she did not use it during her trial.
The 55-minute meeting occurred on December 11, 2021, one month before 200 agents raided businesses and homes associated with the Feeding our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota’s largest law enforcement action in history.
The FBI had already been looking into the case, the largest pandemic fraud in the country, for eight months. However, the recording clearly shows that Ellison was unaware of the food program, Feeding our Future, or the ongoing investigation.
The group told Ellison their story, which was later proven to be false at trial, that MDE was racist and discriminatory against them by refusing to reimburse their meal claims with taxpayer funds.
“What are they doing?” “Are they denying?” Ellison asked.
“They stopped the program completely. They said there are too many people being fed,” said Abshir Omar, who is not charged with a crime in the case but had previously advocated for Feeding our Future defendants, including Aimee Bock, before anyone was indicted.
On the recording, Ellison criticizes other department leaders, particularly then-DHS Commissioner Jodi Harpstead, despite not fully understanding the claims made by the group.
“Well, let me tell you something. I’m very concerned about this. “I don’t control the agencies, but they frequently call on my lawyers to represent them,” Ellison stated.
Ellison’s attorneys were representing MDE at the time after Feeding Our Future filed a lawsuit to resume payments. The defendants misrepresented the legal action during their recorded conversation with Ellison.
The group openly stated that they will help Ellison with political donations if he helps them.
“Of course, I am here to help. But, to be clear, I’m not here because I believe it will help my re-election. “I don’t care if I don’t get re-elected,” Ellison replied.
Ellison asked the group to email him more specifics about their complaints, and he promised to look into it for them. Even at the end of the conversation, Ellison did not appear to understand what the group was saying, but he offered to help if he could.
“Just getting the inquiry from the AG is sometimes enough to make people knock it off,” Ellison told reporters.
Despite learning about the food program for the first time from the soon-to-be defendants in December 2021, Ellison’s office issued a press release in September 2022 highlighting his participation.
“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his office have been deeply involved for two years in holding Feeding Our Future accountable,” the email’s first line stated.
Ellison’s office issued a lengthy statement about the recording’s contents and defended the accuracy of the September 2022 press release. The statement read in part:
- Ellison thought he was meeting with a friend, Imam Mohamed Omar, and was surprised Omar brought others with him whom Ellison did not know.
- Ellison regularly meets with constituents, hears their concerns in good faith, and tries to help people who need it.
- Ellison does not sign off or get briefed by every lawsuit his office defends for Minnesota state offices.
“It is a shame that these fraudsters tried to exploit the Attorney General’s good faith engagement, but they were not successful,” a statement said.