'A brazen scheme': 47 charged with siphoning $250M from COVID-19 child meal program
USA TodayNov 27, 2022
The Facts
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against 47 individuals accused of stealing $250M from a federal program designed to feed needy children in Minnesota during the COVID pandemic.
US Attorney Andrew Luger called it "the largest pandemic fraud in the United States," adding that the charges include "conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and paying and receiving illegal kickbacks."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Feeding our Future was entirely focused on helping those in need, not on fraudulent schemes that took advantage of children to get rich. If any fraud occurred, it was without the knowledge of the executive director. A transparent investigation is more than welcome to get to the bottom of these allegations.
Establishment-critical narrative
This is another sign that COVID relief programs are rife with issues. Though an indictment never proves guilt, it seems that the senior leadership of this group knew exactly what they were doing. It's devastating that Feeding Our Future abused a public program designed to help the most vulnerable during COVID and defrauded taxpayers of a quarter of a billion dollars.
