The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) failed to properly oversee the Feeding Our Future nonprofit, which was at the center of a $250 million Covid relief scheme. The MDE did not hold the nonprofit accountable for program requirements, failed to act on warning signs, and was ill-prepared to respond to issues. Feeding Our Future saw a substantial increase in federal funds from $3.4 million in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. The MDE did not conduct in-person follow-up reviews due to the pandemic, and failed to respond to complaints about the program.
The audit report revealed that the MDE received at least 30 complaints about Feeding Our Future from 2018 to 2021, but did not investigate some complaints thoroughly. The MDE also did not always verify statements made by the nonprofit before approving its program applications. Education Commissioner Willie Jett disputed claims of lax oversight and blamed the individual defendants accused in the scheme. Jett stated that the responsibility for the fraud lies with the indicted and convicted fraudsters. After extensive findings about Feeding Our Future’s shortcomings, the MDE reached out to federal agencies for help and stopped approving the nonprofit’s new applications in December 2020.
Five defendants involved in the fraud scheme were convicted of various financial crimes, collectively receiving over $40 million in federal funds from April 2020 to January 2022. Prosecutors stated that the defendants used most of the money to purchase multiple homes, properties, luxury vehicles, rather than providing meals to children as claimed. An alleged incident of jury tampering occurred when a juror was offered nearly $120,000 in cash in exchange for voting to acquit. The FBI conducted searches related to the investigation and the investigation into the jury tampering incident is ongoing.
The MDE faced additional pressure when a group of Congress members demanded more information, including emails and texts between the MDE and the FBI. The jury tampering incident overshadowed the end of the trial where five defendants were convicted of financial crimes. Cash was left at the home of a juror as an attempted bribe. The FBI has not disclosed who offered the bribe and the investigation is ongoing. The defendants, their attorneys, and the prosecutors all had access to the juror’s identifying information, raising questions about how the tampering occurred. The trial is part of several related trials concerning the alleged fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future.
