Trial II · 22cr223

Vol XIII

2025-03-03

Day Overview

Volume XIII covers Monday, March 3, 2025. The day opened with the continued direct examination of FBI Special Agent Travis Wilmer, which consumed the bulk of the day. Wilmer walked through Bock's aggressive suppression of every fraud concern raised — by MDE, community members, and her own staff — while payments to fraudulent sites continued. He covered individual sites including Xogmaal, Great Lakes, Evergreen, Singletree/Southwest Metro Youth, and Southcross, and detailed bogus invoice networks (Hope Suppliers, Star Distribution, Premuim Fresh, Afro Produce) used to support inflated claims. After cross-examination by both defense counsel, redirect and recross, Wilmer was excused. The session ended with the beginning of direct examination of FBI Forensic Accountant Lacramioara Blackwell, who started tracing kickback payments to Feeding Our Future employees Hadith Ahmed (via Mizal Consulting) and Ikram Mohamed (via IM Consultation), and began laying out the Eidleh entity web. The most significant moment of the day was Wilmer's testimony that $240 million flowed through an account solely controlled by Bock, and that payments stopped only when the FBI executed search warrants on January 20, 2022.

Government Strategy

The government used Volume XIII to build a comprehensive narrative of Aimee Bock's knowing and active role as the sole gatekeeper over $240 million in federal food program money. Through Special Agent Wilmer, the government established that Bock personally received warnings from MDE, from community members, and from her own employees about fraudulent sites — and systematically suppressed or ignored every concern. The government then showed that Bock's employees (Eidleh, Hadith Ahmed, Ikram Mohamed) ran fraudulent sites and vendors while on her payroll, and that she directed payments to those entities. Finally, the introduction of FBI Forensic Accountant Lacramioara Blackwell allowed the government to pivot from narrative to financial proof: tracing kickback flows from food program sites through shell companies to Feeding Our Future employees, quantifying the scheme in dollar terms.

Strategic Notes for Defense Counsel

- The 'gatekeeper' framing is the spine of the government's case against Bock: every dollar went through her account and every check bore her signature. defense counsel's client's defense must address this directly — either by showing a meaningful intervening review process existed, or by challenging whether mere signature authority equals knowledge of fraud at the site level. - The Xogmaal email (Q84/Q85) is the most dangerous piece of evidence in this volume. Bock received explicit written notice that a site 'has no interest with children' and replied 'Yes, I agree' — yet payments continued for months. Any incoming defense must be prepared to explain this, likely with testimony about what steps were actually taken post-email that did not result in termination (was there an investigation? was Xogmaal eventually cut off before January 2022?). - The bogus vendor invoice networks (Hope Suppliers, Star Distribution, Premuim Fresh, Afro Produce) share suspicious commonalities — same addresses, implausible quantities, identical flat pricing. Defense counsel should consider whether his client had any direct contact with these vendors and whether there is any evidence of due diligence. The cross conceded Bock may not have personally verified vendor phone numbers. - The January 19, 2022 'leakage' of the FBI account seizure to Bock within two hours is damaging circumstantial evidence of coordination among co-conspirators. Defense counsel needs to understand the full communication chain and whether his client received or transmitted any such communications. - Lacramioara Blackwell's kickback testimony (Hadith Ahmed: $966K; Ikram Mohamed: substantial; Eidleh: multiple entities) will continue in the next volume. The defense has not yet cross-examined her. Focus cross on whether she independently verified the absence of legitimate services, whether she reviewed tax records for these entities, and whether the 'sources and uses' methodology accounts for legitimate business transactions within these accounts.

Witnesses

Travis Wilmer

FBI Special Agent who served as a lead case agent in the Feeding Our Future investigation, providing comprehensive overview testimony about the fraud scheme, Bock's conduct, and evidence gathered.

FBI Government

Direct Examination

Wilmer established that Bock's own training documents required real-time meal counts and rosters, yet she ignored every red flag about fraud from MDE, community sources, and employees. He walked through fraudulent sites (Xogmaal, Great Lakes, Evergreen, Singletree, Southcross) with their hallmark flat-number meal counts, connected bogus vendor invoices (Hope Suppliers, Star Distribution, Premuim Fresh, Afro Produce) to the scheme, and showed that Bock personally signed every check dispersing the $240 million while knowing her own employees were running fraudulent sites. He also described the January 20, 2022 simultaneous execution of search and seizure warrants, including that Salim Said's account seizure leaked to Bock within two hours.

▸

Bock's own FOF document stated meal counts must be done while participants are eating; late counts 'will not be allowed to be reimbursed.' This document was found at fraud sites including S&S Catering and Southcross. — Proves Bock and her sites knew the documentation rules, undermining any 'I didn't know' defense. [p. 2854-2858]

▸

Bock texted Ikram Mohamed: 'Watkins is prepped if we need to remind our friends who the real fucking boss is.' She then actually sued MDE employee Daron Korte personally for defamation when he publicly raised fraud concerns. — Shows Bock's aggressive litigation tactic was not bluster — she followed through, which corroborates the government's narrative of intentional obstruction of oversight. [p. 2865-2870]

▸

Bock directed Salim Said to 'Get that shit cleaned up' after a community member posted about contractors gifting her FOF employee Hani Mohamed ~$100,000 in gold at her wedding; Said had the post removed within hours. — Demonstrates consciousness of guilt and coordination between Bock and Said to suppress evidence of corruption. [p. 2887-2888]

▸

Hadith Ahmed emailed Bock on Feb. 27, 2021: 'We took a lot of organizations that don't work with children... Xogmaal is a TV show program. They have no interest with children. These are the things we need to clean up.' Bock replied 'Yes, I agree' — yet Xogmaal continued receiving payments totaling over $1.3 million, including checks signed by Bock well after that exchange. — Devastating evidence of knowledge and conscious disregard: Bock acknowledged in writing that a site was fraudulent and continued paying it anyway. [p. 2899-2907]

▸

Over $240 million in federal food program money between 2020-2021 flowed through a single Feeding Our Future account at Bank of America. Aimee Bock was the only signatory on that account. — Establishes her as the sole financial gatekeeper and legally implicated decision-maker for every payment. [p. 2909-2910]

▸

Wilmer testified that FOF employee Hadith Ahmed ran the Southwest Metro Youth/Singletree site himself, and Bock knew: text message showed Bock asking whether Ahmed's name was on 'SW?' He said 'Yes.' She then directed payment to a different entity 'Mind Foundry' as the safer option. — Proves Bock's knowledge of employee-run fraudulent sites and her active steering of payments to conceal that connection. [p. 2925-2927]

▸

Within two hours of Salim Said's Wells Fargo account being seized by the FBI on the evening of January 19, 2022, Bock was texting Ikram Mohamed about it, saying 'It's not frozen, though... They levied it. His balance became zero.' — Establishes coordination between Bock and Said's organization, and shows their integrated awareness of law enforcement action. [p. 2968-2970]

▸

Wilmer testified that the only thing that stopped payments to fraudulent sites was 'overt action by the FBI to include search warrants and seizure warrants executed January 20th of 2022.' — Rebuts any argument that Bock was winding down the program or self-correcting; payments continued until the FBI physically stopped them. [p. 2963]

Cross-Examination

Defense counsel Udoibok focused on attacking Wilmer's inferences: he could not confirm Bock personally reviewed specific emails, did not know whether she called vendor phone numbers to verify them, and could not confirm the exact employment status (employee vs. consultant) of Hadith Ahmed, Eidleh, or Ikram Mohamed. Montez challenged the 'hallmarks of illegitimacy' framing for meal counts and questioned whether the wedding jewelry was actually real gold (bulakati — gold-plated jewelry). Neither cross was particularly effective at neutralizing the core evidence; Wilmer consistently held his ground and on redirect the government rehabilitated every challenged point.

▸

Wilmer admitted he did not know whether Bock personally called vendor phone numbers (Afro Produce, Premuim Fresh) to verify them, and that 'it was not of importance to our investigation.' — Opens a narrow due diligence argument — defense can argue Bock relied on her staff and had no personal knowledge vendors were fake. [p. 2974-2977]

▸

Wilmer admitted he did not know the exact employment status of Hadith Ahmed, Eidleh, or Ikram Mohamed — whether they were classified as employees or consultants at Feeding Our Future. — Defense tried to argue consultants are legally permitted to operate sites, though Wilmer correctly noted it doesn't matter — they were working for the sponsor while operating sites they were supposed to oversee. [p. 2980-2986]

▸

Wilmer acknowledged that as to Exhibit BB32e (Bock-Ikram text about the FBI seizure) and GG41c (Said-Salah text), there was 'not in this particular exhibit' a request to conceal anything. — Limits the direct obstruction inference from those specific texts, though context still supports a consciousness-of-guilt reading. [p. 2972-2973]

▸

Montez elicited that 'bulakati' is gold-plated jewelry worn at Somali weddings, suggesting the wedding jewelry may not have been the $100,000 in real gold described by the social media post. — Potentially undermines the weight of the wedding video as evidence of contractor wealth derived from fraud — if jewelry was ceremonial/plated, the inference is weakened. [p. 3027-3028]

▸

Udoibok confirmed that 'rule the world, or at least Minnesota' texts did not mean 'cheat the world' — Wilmer agreed: 'I don't read cheat out of that.' — Minor concession limiting overreach in government's use of that text, though ambition to 'rule' still fits the government's narrative. [p. 2997]

Vulnerabilities Wilmer is a case agent who is clearly aligned with the government's narrative and made several inferential leaps (e.g., 'it was not of importance to us' when asked about vendor phone number verification). He lacks personal knowledge of many transactional details — he repeatedly deferred to other members of the team for financial specifics. He does not know the exact employment classification of key FOF insiders, which the defense can exploit. His characterization of Bock's texts as aggressive and non-joking is an interpretive opinion, not fact. The defense did not press hard enough on how many of the ~174 sites Wilmer personally investigated versus reviewed at a high level, which could undermine the breadth of his testimony. He also admitted he cannot say what steps Bock actually took after receiving the Xogmaal email — he has only an absence of evidence, not affirmative evidence she did nothing.

For Defense Counsel Defense counsel should focus on the 'absence of evidence is not evidence of absence' point regarding Bock's internal investigations. Push on whether FOF had a claims department staff that sat between Bock and site operators — Wilmer acknowledged he did not know every detail of the claims department process. Explore how many of the 174+ sites Wilmer personally reviewed. Challenge the 'gatekeeper' label — Bock signed checks, but did she have meaningful ability to evaluate 200+ sites' fraudulent meal counts without assistance? Consider calling a food program expert who can explain the genuine chaos of COVID-era SFSP/CACFP program expansion and MDE's own failings. The employee/consultant distinction for Hadith and Eidleh may be exploitable to argue Bock reasonably relied on representations from vendors she did not know were insiders.

Lacramioara Blackwell

FBI Forensic Accountant who traced kickback payments flowing from food program sites through shell companies to Feeding Our Future employees Hadith Ahmed (Mizal Consulting), Ikram Mohamed (IM Consultation), and Abdikerm Eidleh (multiple entities).

FBI Government

Direct Examination

Blackwell explained her methodology (subpoenaing bank records, following money through layered entities) and walked through specific kickback payments into Hadith Ahmed's Mizal Consulting LLC ($966,172 total from food program sites plus $130,000 in FOF payroll), Ikram Mohamed's IM Consultation LLC (checks from Star Distribution and United Youth family sites), and began tracing Abdikerm Eidleh's four shell companies (Eidleh Inc., Hope Suppliers, Bridge Logistics, Bridge Consulting and Logistics). She identified fraudulent memo lines ('consultation,' 'loan,' 'supplies,' 'equipment purchase') as disguise techniques. Her testimony was not completed by end of day.

▸

Hadith Ahmed's Mizal Consulting received $966,172 in checks from food program sites while Ahmed was on Feeding Our Future's payroll collecting $130,000. Sites paying kickbacks included Action For East African People ($210,000), Great Lakes Inc. ($154,000), and Community Enhancement Services ($135,500). — Quantifies the kickback scheme in dollar terms, directly connecting Ahmed's dual roles as FOF employee and recipient of site payments. [p. 3054-3068]

▸

Ikram Mohamed's IM Consultation LLC was opened March 23, 2021 — well into the program — and received $68,000 and $21,000 checks from Star Distribution (controlled by her brother Suleman Mohamed) within days of opening. — Timing of entity creation corroborates that it was purpose-built to receive disguised proceeds, not a pre-existing legitimate business. [p. 3068-3073]

▸

Eidleh's Hope Suppliers LLC and Bridge Logistics LLC were both incorporated in December 2020, deep into the food program. Blackwell testified the proliferation of entities is 'a common methodology for people involved in criminal activity' to create the appearance of legitimacy. — Expert context for why shell companies were used, helping the jury understand the deliberate nature of the laundering structure. [p. 3075-3077]

▸

Hanna Marekegn/Brava Cafe paid Eidleh's entities three separate kickback checks totaling at least $94,000 ($25,000 to Bridge Consulting, $36,000 to Eidleh Inc., $33,000 to Hope Suppliers), while Brava Cafe received over $5.7 million from Feeding Our Future. — Corroborates Marekegn's cooperating testimony about kickbacks with hard financial records. [p. 3082-3084]

Cross-Examination

Blackwell had not yet been cross-examined at the close of this volume. Her direct was interrupted at the end of day.

Vulnerabilities Blackwell's testimony was cut off at the end of day — cross-examination will occur in the next volume. Potential challenges: (1) she relies on the assumption that 'consultation' memo lines are fraudulent without confirming no services were ever rendered; (2) her methodology of 'following the money' cannot establish who directed each payment without corroborating communications; (3) the defense may challenge whether entity proliferation alone proves fraud versus ordinary tax/liability planning; (4) she may not know the specific nature of Ahmed's or Eidleh's work for FOF that could have justified payments.

For Defense Counsel Defense counsel should be ready to cross on: (1) Whether Blackwell independently investigated what consulting services, if any, Mizal Consulting or IM Consultation actually performed — or whether she simply assumed none based on the absence of records she looked for; (2) Whether IRS records or tax returns filed by these entities were reviewed; (3) Whether any of the payments could reflect legitimate sub-contracting for site support work separate from the food program; (4) The reliability of her 'kickback' conclusion when she has not spoken to the check signatories in every case.

Key Evidence

Type	Exhibit	Description	Page	Challenge Opportunity
Document	Gov. Ex. A83	Email from Aimee Bock to Ikram Mohamed attaching Feeding Our Future's CACFP Required Elements training document, which stated meal counts must be done in real-time while participants eat and that rosters were required for reimbursement.	[p. 2849, 2854-2859]	The document is FOF's own interpretation of program rules, not MDE or USDA guidance directly. Defense can argue there was genuine ambiguity about what 'real-time' meant in COVID remote-service contexts.
Document	Gov. Ex. BB32b	Text messages between Aimee Bock and Ikram Mohamed in which Bock says 'Watkins is prepped if we need to remind our friends who the real fucking boss is' and 'I protect this company and me people at all costs.'	[p. 2865-2867]	Defense argued and Wilmer partially conceded these could be read as hyperbolic or tongue-in-cheek. Standalone, the texts do not prove fraud.
Document	Gov. Ex. BB30g	Text messages between Aimee Bock and Salim Said (labeled 'Safari' in Bock's phone) the day after a community member's social media post about gold jewelry given to FOF employee Hani Mohamed at her wedding by food program contractors.	[p. 2887-2889]	Bock's texts also include 'One of my employees gets married and now it's proof I'm a fraud?' which can be read as genuine indignation. The jewelry was not given to Bock personally.
Document	Gov. Ex. Q84 / Q85	Email chain: Hadith Ahmed to Aimee Bock (Feb. 27, 2021) stating Xogmaal 'has no interest with children' and 'these are the things we need to clean up'; Bock's reply 'Yes, I agree' (March 2, 2021).	[p. 2898-2901]	Wilmer admitted he does not know what steps Bock may have taken after this exchange — only that payments continued. Defense can argue Bock delegated the cleanup to staff and it was not completed without her knowledge.
Financial Record	Gov. Ex. W2 (series)	Checks from the Feeding Our Future Bank of America account signed by Aimee Bock to fraudulent sites and vendors including Xogmaal, Great Lakes, Evergreen, Southwest Metro Youth/Singletree, and Hope Suppliers.	[p. 2905-2942]	Defense can argue Bock signed checks relying on her claims department's review and FOF staff's representations — she was not personally verifying each site's legitimacy.
Data/Summary	Gov. Ex. X1	Summary exhibit showing all 174+ sites under FOF sponsorship in 2020-2021 and the total reimbursement amounts each received, totaling over $240 million.	[p. 2909-2911]	The exhibit does not differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent sites — not all 174 sites were necessarily fraudulent. Defense may argue the government has only proven fraud at a subset.
Document	Gov. Ex. BB32e	Text messages between Aimee Bock and Ikram Mohamed on the night of January 19, 2022, in which Mohamed sends a Google search about frozen bank accounts and Bock responds: 'It's not frozen, though... They levied it. His balance became zero.'	[p. 2968-2970]	There is no direct request to conceal anything in this exchange; Bock may have simply been informed and commented. Udoibok elicited this on cross and Wilmer conceded it.
Document	Gov. Ex. GG41c	Text message between Salim Said and Abdulkadir Salah ('Fish') on January 19, 2022, showing Said's Wells Fargo screen capture of a pending FBI legal order draining his Salim Limited LLC account of ~$196,000. Salah responds: 'That's FBI.'	[p. 2966-2968]	Does not contain Bock's name; the connection to her comes from the subsequent BB32e text.
Financial Record	Gov. Ex. X43	Sources-and-uses summary chart for Hadith Ahmed's Mizal Consulting LLC bank accounts, showing $966,172 in kickback payments from food program sites and $130,000 in FOF payroll, prepared by Forensic Accountant Blackwell.	[p. 3064-3068]	Summary charts are only as reliable as the underlying bank records. Defense can challenge the characterization of memo lines as 'kickbacks' vs. legitimate consulting or loan payments without independent evidence of what services were rendered.
Document	Gov. Ex. BB40a	Text messages between Aimee Bock and Hadith Ahmed regarding a site participant named Anab Awad ('Khadra') who had spoken out about FOF. Ahmed says 'please let the lawyer call and scare the shit out of her'; Bock says 'She is going to be terrified' and 'We may have become the mob.'	[p. 2890-2895]	Bock's lawyer using a subpoena is a legitimate legal tool. The 'mob' comment can be argued as hyperbole. Awad herself was later charged, suggesting her 'whistleblowing' was mixed with her own participation in the fraud.

Legal Rulings & Objections

⚖

Defense objection to Wilmer's testimony about Bock's reaction to MDE's concerns ('Objection. Vague') — overruled. — Court allowed Wilmer to give interpretive testimony about the meaning of text messages, which is significant scope for a case agent. [p. 2867]

⚖

Defense objection to Wilmer's question about whether the government investigated whether concerns were accurate ('Objection. Leading') — sustained. Question rephrased. — Minor: government had to rephrase but got in the same answer. Shows court will control leading on direct. [p. 2869]

⚖

Defense objection that Wilmer's testimony about what Bock did after article about fraud 'calls for speculation' and also 'Assumes facts not in evidence' — both overruled. — Court is permitting Wilmer to testify as a case agent about inferences from the evidence even where he lacks personal knowledge. [p. 2877]

⚖

Montez objection on Q that Salim Said 'registered' shell companies for Jama — 'misstates the testimony' — sustained. Court required rephrasing. — Defense succeeded in correcting an overreach on redirect; minor win on technical accuracy of prior testimony. [p. 2948-2949]

⚖

Montez cross-examination of Wilmer used C20 (email from Abdihakim Ahmed requesting fake roster ages) and FF3 (another roster document) — government objected to both as beyond the scope of direct. C20 was allowed ('has to do with rosters'); FF3 was excluded. — Scope-of-cross rulings mean defense cannot always introduce new evidence through the government's own witness. Defense counsel should consider whether he needs an independent evidence strategy for exculpatory roster-related documents. [p. 3030-3033]

⚖

Government objection 'document speaks for itself' repeatedly sustained when defense counsel asked Wilmer to interpret text message contents or characterize parties' states of mind. — Court is protective of the jury's role as interpreter of documents on cross — defense cannot get the agent to characterize documents favorably through leading questions. [p. 3015-3017]

Prior Defense Performance

Udoibok's cross was methodical but largely ineffective. He scored minor points — Wilmer cannot confirm Bock personally read specific emails or called vendor phone numbers, and he does not know the precise employee/consultant status of key insiders — but these concessions did not meaningfully dent the core evidence. Udoibok repeatedly asked whether exhibits showed Bock 'asking anyone to conceal anything,' which is a narrow, formalistic frame; the government's case does not depend on explicit concealment requests. He missed opportunities to: (1) deeply explore whether the claims department served as a meaningful intervening layer between Bock's signature and site-level fraud; (2) press Wilmer on how many of the 174+ sites he personally investigated vs. reviewed superficially; (3) challenge the government's characterization of Bock's 'Yes, I agree' email as proof of knowledge versus a vague acknowledgment. Montez's cross on the wedding jewelry (bulakati/gold-plated) was the most creative moment, potentially undermining an inflammatory exhibit, but he abandoned it quickly when the court sustained objections. Neither defense counsel challenged the reliability of the cooperating witnesses (Marekegn, Jama) who Wilmer repeatedly referenced — a significant missed opportunity given their own admitted fraud. Redirect by the government effectively rehabilitated Wilmer on every major point.