Tim Walz and Keith Ellison watched fraudsters steal $250 million meant to feed children – and did nothing.
Florida just made clear it won't make the same mistake.
Attorney General James Uthmeier put every welfare cheat in the state on notice Wednesday, and what he said next will make you smile.
Democrats Looked the Other Way While Children Got Robbed
Here's what happened in Minnesota so you understand why Florida's announcement matters.
A nonprofit called Feeding Our Future claimed to be feeding hungry kids during COVID.
What it actually did was pocket $250 million in federal funds while serving almost no meals at all.
State officials at the Minnesota Department of Education flagged the fraud early.
They tried to cut off the money.
Then Feeding Our Future's founder, Aimee Bock, sued the state – accusing it of racism for daring to ask questions.
A judge sided with Bock and ordered the state to keep paying.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2044452931018097149?s=20
The money kept flowing.
Meanwhile, Tim Walz's office was warned directly.
Attorney General Keith Ellison was warned directly – and there's now audio of him meeting with members of the Somali community who were later convicted in the scheme, pledging his support while they discussed campaign donations to him and his family.
At trial, prosecutors said only 3% of Feeding Our Future's funding was spent on actual food.
The rest went to luxury cars, overseas bank accounts, and real estate.
Bock was convicted on all counts in March 2025 and now faces up to 33 years in prison.
But only about $75 million of the $250 million has been recovered.
The rest is gone.
Florida Draws the Line Before It Happens Here
Attorney General James Uthmeier stood before cameras Wednesday and made the contrast with Minnesota as clear as it could be.
"We're going to make some examples," Uthmeier said. "If you're out there and you're thinking about stealing from the government through one of these programs, you better think again."
That's not a press release. That's a warning.
The new Public Assistance Fraud Protection Task Force brings together prosecutors, auditors, and law enforcement from across Florida – including the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2044419863813214587?s=20
A dedicated lead prosecutor has been appointed to run the operation.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass didn't mince words about who gets hurt when fraud goes unchecked.
"Committing this crime or this fraud against public assistance programs, taking it away from the much needy persons that need this to help us and to help them," Glass said. "It's just inexcusable."
Why Coordination Is the Whole Game
Here's what the Feeding Our Future case proved about how these schemes actually work.
Fraudsters find the seams between agencies.
Medicaid doesn't know what SNAP is doing. SNAP doesn't know what housing assistance is doing.
Nobody's watching the full picture.
In Minnesota, that blind spot let one nonprofit balloon from $3.4 million in meal claims in 2019 to nearly $200 million by 2021 – and nobody in state government connected the dots until the FBI showed up with raids.
Florida's task force is specifically designed to close those seams before the fraud starts.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2044151911188766827?s=20
Cross-agency coordination.
Proactive audits.
Early detection instead of forensic cleanup after hundreds of millions are already gone.
Uthmeier called out Minnesota and California by name when announcing the task force.
The people who lose when these programs get looted aren't bureaucrats – they're disabled Floridians whose Medicaid funding dries up, low-income families whose rental assistance disappears, and kids who actually need the food.
Democrats in Minnesota chose political cover over those people.
Florida just chose the people.
Sources:
- Kennedy Owens, "Florida cracks down on fraud in taxpayer-funded aid programs, launches new task force," Florida News, April 15, 2026.
- Fox News Staff, "Meet Minnesota's fraud 'mastermind' accused of playing God, wielding fake racism claims in Somali scandal," Fox News, December 21, 2025.
- NewsNation Staff, "Emails, audio show Minnesota officials ignored warnings: Fraudster's attorney," NewsNation, January 14, 2026.
- The National Desk Staff, "Federal judge orders forfeiture of $5.2 million from Feeding Our Future fraud ringleader," The National Desk, January 7, 2026.
