Forty-seven people in the US State of Minnesota have been charged with conspiracy and other counts in relation to a massive Covid-19 pandemic scheme.
Federal authorities said the suspects took advantage of the pandemic to steal $250 million from a federal program that provides meals to low-income children.
Prosecutors say the defendants created companies that claimed to be offering food to tens of thousands of children across Minnesota, then sought reimbursement for those meals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food nutrition programs.
Many of the companies were sponsored by a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, which submitted the companies' claims for reimbursement.
Feeding Our Future's founder and executive director, Aimee Bock, was among those indicted, and authorities say she and others in her organization submitted the fraudulent claims for reimbursement and received kickbacks.
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