MINNEAPOLIS, United States – Federal prosecutors have charged the 75th person in a sweeping fraud case that siphoned off $250 million from a U.S. program meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic — the largest pandemic-related fraud uncovered in the country to date.
Muna Wais Fidhin, 44, was arrested Friday in Minneapolis and indicted on ten counts, including wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota said.
According to prosecutors, Fidhin pocketed approximately $1 million by falsely claiming to have provided hundreds of thousands of meals to children in need. Instead, authorities allege she paid off her mortgage, bought a car, and wired money overseas.
“With the 75th defendant charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal, the message could not be clearer,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said. “If you had any role in these frauds, pick up the phone and call the FBI today.”
A scheme of ‘staggering proportions’
At the center of the case is Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit responsible for distributing federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) child nutrition programs.
During the pandemic, the USDA loosened its rules so low-income children could still access meals outside of school. Prosecutors say that flexibility opened the door to a sprawling network of fraud, with shell companies and fake meal sites billing the government for food that was never served.
Feeding Our Future, led by its founder Aimee Bock, ballooned during this period — handling just $3.4 million in federal aid in 2019 compared with nearly $200 million by 2021. Bock was convicted in June 2024 of fraud and bribery and now awaits sentencing.
“Today’s arrest of Muna Wais Fidhin represents yet another major milestone in this investigation,” said Alvin M. Winston, Sr., Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis FBI office.
“Fidhin, and all of those charged in connection with this scheme, may have underestimated the FBI’s ability to track down those who steal from taxpayers — especially when the money was meant to feed hungry children.”
Fake invoices, real spending
Prosecutors allege Fidhin used two entities — M5 Café and a nonprofit she later set up called M5 Care — to enroll as food distribution sites under Feeding Our Future and another sponsor organization.
She claimed to serve 500 children every single day, seven days a week. To support those claims, officials say she filed fake food invoices, ultimately billing for more than 300,000 meals that never existed.
The government claims that the $1 million she received was used to pay down her mortgage, purchase a vehicle, cover personal expenses, and transfer tens of thousands of dollars abroad.
Investigators also accuse her of paying roughly $27,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee to keep the scheme running smoothly.
‘More work to be done’
The investigation, led jointly by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, has highlighted what officials call widespread fraud in government aid programs.
“The Feeding Our Future fraud investigation ignited an awareness of the pervasive fraud that exists in government-funded programs in this state,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.
While Friday’s arrest marked another milestone, Jobes cautioned that “there is still more work to be done on this and other fraud schemes.”
Fidhin’s charges remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The broader case has already led to dozens of guilty pleas and several convictions, with prosecutors continuing to unravel what they call one of the most brazen fraud networks in Minnesota’s history.