A former Faribault restaurant owner testified Tuesday that she defrauded the federal government out of millions of dollars under directions from Aimee Bock and another Feeding Our Future employee.
Lul Ali, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing more than $5 million, broke down as she testified about her involvement in the estimated $250 million fraud scheme.
Lul, 58, blamed Bock and Feeding Our Future for encouraging entire families to participate in the scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She destroyed us as a community,” Lul said of Bock before pausing and burying her head in a tissue. “I’m so upset.”
Lul took the witness stand on the second day of testimony in Bock’s trial. Bock is charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and bribery, and three counts of wire fraud.
Prosecutors allege that Bock and 69 other defendants stole $250 million from the federal child nutrition programs, money meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lul, who is Somali, wore a bright orange hijab and an orange and white patterned dress in court. She spoke about fleeing Somalia as a college student when the country broke into civil war in the early 1990s.
She arrived in Minnesota in 2001, and earned money making sambusas and running a home daycare before opening a modest halal restaurant with nine tables in early 2020. Lido Restaurant mostly served takeout food to younger workers from the nearby Jennie-O Turkey plant where she said she previously worked.
Three or four months after opening the restaurant, Lul testified, a man in his 30s named “Shafi” approached her about a new opportunity. Shafi told her that a company called Feeding Our Future would buy food from her restaurant.
Then, Lul testified, Shafi called up Bock and told her about Lul and her restaurant. The three of them jumped on a video call, and Bock and Shafi encouraged Lul to fill out an application to enroll her restaurant in the federal child nutrition programs.
Lul said she asked Shafi how much Feeding Our Future would pay for her food. He told her $4.50 per meal, which Lul said was too low for meals that cost $12 at her restaurant.
“He told me, ‘You’ll make more money than anybody,’” Lul testified. “I said, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I’ll buy more than 1,000.’”
Lul said providing that number of meals was impossible, as her restaurant typically served 50 to 60 meals a day.
“He said, ‘You can do it. Sign the application and we’ll see,’” Lul said.
Lul signed the application, and the next day, she testified, Shafi called and said her application was approved. She could start that day.
“How will I start today?” Lul recalled telling Shafi. “I don’t have enough money to shop or cook. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”
Eventually, Lul said, she was introduced to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee who she worked with from then on. They set up an arrangement: Lul would pay Eidleh and Bock $30,000 every month.
At the end of each month, Abdikerm Eidleh would come to Lul’s restaurant and collect the money, and then call Bock on a video conference and tell her he had the money, Lul testified.
Sometimes, Lul testified, Bock would speak directly to her and encourage her to open more food sites. Lul testified that Bock told her the American Dream was to “make money a lot.”
Lul grew emotional as she explained the day FBI agents visited her and confronted her about her crimes.
“I’ll never forget that day — I’m sorry,” she said through tears. “What I did is not good.”
The Minnesota Department of Education distributed the federal money to Feeding Our Future, which then distributed it further to food venders and food sites like Lul’s restaurant, which were supposed to feed children ready-to-eat meals.
Prosecutors allege that some businesses reported serving more meals than they did in order to receive more money. Some never served any meals at all.
Lul confirmed to Bock’s attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, that she never spoke in person with Bock, and only spoke to her through video calls on Abdikerm Eidleh’s phone. Lul testified that Bock didn’t force her to fill in false meal counts, but added that Bock “encouraged me.”
Bock is accused of taking just over $1 million for herself by contracting with her boyfriend for maintenance work on Feeding Our Future’s office for $900,000. She also allegedly took a $310,000 kickback in exchange for enrolling a nonprofit into the federal food-aid program.
Abdikerm Eidleh was also indicted in the case, but fled the country before charges were filed and remains at large.
Bock’s bartender was unaware of Feeding Our Future board role
Ben Strayberg, who was listed in Feeding Our Future’s documents as president of its board, also testified Tuesday. Strayberg, a bartender who knew Bock as a bar friend for several years, said he had no idea he was board president of her nonprofit until a New York Times reporter called him about it after the scandal broke in 2022.
“They called me — I had no idea what they were talking about,” Strayberg testified.
Bock had previously approached him and asked him to sign what he thought was a petition to support an initiative Bock was starting to help feed needy children, Strayberg testified.
“Did she tell you you were joining the board of directors of the company?” asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson.
“No,” Strayberg said. “I had no idea I was a part of that.”
Thompson then showed Stayberg a Feeding Our Future chart listing him in that role.
“Big shoes,” Strayberg said, eliciting laughter in the courtroom.
Strayberg was described in Feeding Our Future documents as having “extensive knowledge of food sourcing and food costs.” Thompson asked him if this was true.
“No,” Strayberg said. “I serve drinks.”
Thompson went over several purported board minutes from Feeding Our Future that claimed Strayberg attended the meetings and made motions for the company to recruit new food sites.
“Do you know anything about approving sites or even what the [Child and Adult Care Food Program] is?” Thompson asked.
“No clue,” Strayberg said.
Other documents claimed he held trainings for the company, and included signatures with his name on them. Strayberg testified that they were not his signatures.
Under questioning from Udoibok, Strayberg acknowledged that he didn’t know if Bock wrote his name or forged his signature on documents.
Thompson noted that Feeding Our Future documents also listed a John Senkler as the nonprofit’s board secretary. Straybeg testified that Senkler is another bartender friend of his who also knows Bock.
“He’s the last person you’d think would be in that position,” Senkler testified, again to laughter in the courtroom. “Him and I like to party.”
