Against the advice of her attorney, Feeding Our Future CEO Aimee Bock took the stand late Friday afternoon in her Federal fraud trial.
She testified for only an hour before court adjourned at the appointed time for the day. The trial won’t resume until Wednesday morning in the case. Bock, now aged 44, was still working through her biography when the session ended.
Bock is expected to testify that she did her level best to run a good food program, but unbeknownst to her, dozens of her employees and vendors were stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money. It somehow escaped her attention.
Immediately prior to her appearance on the stand, the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Bock (Defendant No. 1) and Safari Restaurant co-owner Salim Said (No. 3).
The prosecution’s final witness (on Day 16 of the trial) detailed how Bock personally benefitted from the scheme, to the tune of $1.9 million. Much of the proceeds were allegedly funneled through Bock’s then-live-in-boyfriend Empress Malcolm Watson, Jr. That’s his real name.
Earlier in the day, the judge accepted the guilty plea of Abdinasir Abshir, Defendant No. 10. The press release can be read here. It turns out his attempt at witness tampering worked against him.
Abshir becomes guilty plea #37 and the 42nd conviction in the sprawling free-food scandal.
A roundup of reports from inside the courtroom:
PowerLine: Feeding Our Fraud: Aimee Bock takes the stand
Sahan Journal: Aimee Bock testifies in Feeding Our Future trial
KARE 11: Feeding Our Future Trial: Alleged ‘mastermind’ Aimee Bock takes the stand
Star Tribune: Feeding Our Future leader Aimee Bock testifies in her defense in trial
So much drama.