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Her comments arrive as federal prosecutors continue to detail how dozens of individuals, many linked to Minnesota’s Somali community, were convicted of submitting falsified meal counts during the COVID-19 emergency. According to reporting cited by The New York Post, the scheme allegedly involved inflated claims for meals that were never served to low-income children, while large sums of federal money were diverted.
Bock, however, has repeatedly pushed back against the narrative that she was the central architect of wrongdoing. She maintains that she attempted to raise concerns about irregularities as they emerged and has portrayed herself as someone caught inside a rapidly expanding system rather than the driving force behind it.
“The notion that I’m personally responsible for all of it . . . is so frustrating. I’m the only white person out of 80 or 90 individuals [charged in the fraud]. I’m the only one that doesn’t speak the language,” she added.
At the center of the controversy is how federal pandemic relief rules were implemented and expanded. Under the federal child nutrition framework, Bock’s nonprofit Feeding Our Future served as a sponsoring organization responsible for reviewing paperwork submitted by participating meal sites before forwarding reimbursement requests tied to federal funds.
During the early stages of the pandemic, Congress passed the MEALS Act, which authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to loosen restrictions on school meal programs. These emergency waivers allowed restaurants and other sites to participate with reduced oversight, including fewer on-site inspections and relaxed administrative requirements.
Bock has also alleged that Omar later became involved when some of those waivers faced expiration. Omar has denied any wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed against her in connection with the case.
“There had been a couple times early on that there were some gaps – a waiver would be set to expire on maybe the 15th of a month, and then the renewal didn’t kick in until the 1st,” Bock said.
“Because of course this was supposed to be a short-term thing . . . we were supposed to be home for two weeks,” she added.
According to court records and evidence introduced during trial, Omar’s name reportedly appeared in emails and text messages presented as exhibits in the 2025 federal proceedings. Bock claims those communications involved outreach from individuals seeking help navigating federal waiver rules after contacting Omar’s congressional office.
One location frequently mentioned in reporting is Safari Restaurant, which participated in the pandemic meal program and later became a focal point in the broader investigation. Omar previously filmed a promotional video there in May 2020 highlighting its role in feeding families during the crisis. The restaurant also hosted her 2018 election night event, according to The New York Post.
By July of that year, Safari Restaurant reportedly claimed it was serving up to 5,000 children daily. Its co-owner, Salim Said, was later convicted of defrauding the government of $16 million—the largest single amount identified in the scheme—and is currently awaiting sentencing.
Bock described broader outreach efforts to Omar’s office, suggesting that multiple participants sought assistance with navigating program rules and waiver timing.
“A lot of the sites were working directly with her, being that a lot of the operators were from the same Somali community,” Bock said.
“There were a lot of people that had been reaching out to her office and staff — and I presume her personally — to work through some of those gaps with the waivers,” she said.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with many residents concentrated in Minneapolis, which also falls within Omar’s congressional district. As the legal aftermath of the Feeding Our Future case continues, Bock’s latest comments are likely to fuel renewed political debate over how the federal program was managed during the COVID-19 emergency and who, if anyone, may have been aware of alleged misconduct as it unfolded.
