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“I honestly believe Keith Ellison and Gov. Walz need to be held accountable. There needs to be an investigation done. If they weren’t aware, that’s concerning,” Bock told Fox News.
Bock alleged she repeatedly flagged questionable companies but watched as the state continued authorizing payments without intervention.
“I have to believe that the governor’s office and Keith Ellison’s office were aware of this. They’ve said they were involved in helping the FBI. They’ve said they were made aware, but apparently I’m scary, so they couldn’t do anything,” she said.
Her claims immediately triggered a forceful response from Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office.
Ellison’s spokesperson dismissed Bock’s allegations outright and attacked her credibility following her federal conviction.
“She is a liar, fraudster, and manipulator of the highest order who has never acknowledged or accepted her guilt. Now, she’s on a media tour to deflect her guilt onto others instead of finally taking responsibility for the fraud scheme she ran,” the spokesperson said.
The office doubled down, insisting investigators had already settled the matter in court.
“Federal and state investigators meticulously examined the crimes Bock and her accomplices committed,” the spokesperson added. “Bock alone is responsible for her own actions, which was proven in court beyond a shadow of a doubt, and her claim about Attorney General Ellison is a lie without a shred of evidence behind it.”
Federal prosecutors paint a disturbing picture of how the scheme operated.
According to court filings, sham restaurants were created across Minnesota to submit false reimbursement claims under the federal child nutrition program. Prosecutors say defendants used the stolen money to fund luxury cars, lavish homes, and international travel while claiming to feed children who never received meals.
Governor Tim Walz’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The renewed controversy comes as congressional investigators intensify scrutiny of Minnesota’s exploding fraud problem.
Earlier this month, the House Oversight Committee revealed that the Department of Justice has already charged 98 defendants in Minnesota-based fraud cases. Sixty-four have been convicted.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., described the scope of the investigation as staggering.
According to Comer, federal authorities have issued more than 1,750 subpoenas, executed over 130 search warrants, and conducted more than 1,000 witness interviews tied to fraud investigations in the state.
Comer said prosecutors estimate at least $9 billion has been stolen across multiple fraud schemes operating in Minnesota.
“The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking. And I fear it is just the tip of the iceberg. Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota’s Democratic leadership have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in these crimes,” Comer said. “They failed Minnesotans and all Americans, handing millions of taxpayers’ money to fraudsters.”
As congressional pressure mounts and new accusations surface, questions are growing louder about what Minnesota officials knew, when they knew it, and why it took federal prosecutors to finally shut the operation down.
Whether Bock’s claims lead to further investigations remains to be seen, but the scandal surrounding Minnesota’s welfare programs shows no signs of fading anytime soon.
