Prosecutors on Monday revealed a series of expletive-filled text messages between Aimee Bock and associates at Feeding Our Future, revealing how the nonprofit’s former executive director reacted to early concerns about potential fraud.

“We may have become the mob,” Bock wrote to former Feeding Our Future employee Hadith Ahmed in 2021.

Bock’s attorney says it was sarcasm, but the text exchange presented in court was one of several connected to how Bock addressed those who were openly critical of her nonprofit’s activities during the pandemic. The messages revealed threats to sue anyone who crossed her — including the Minnesota Department of Education.

“I’m going to show them how real bosses play,” Bock wrote.

Bock and her co-defendant, Salim Said, are accused of orchestrating nearly $250 million in fraud connected to federal aid that was supposed to help provide meals to children in need. 

Investigators say Bock repeatedly approved fake invoices and meal counts from dozens of sites that all received reimbursement from the federal government under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship. In total, the non-profit claimed to serve 89 million meals in 2020 and 2021.

Text messages suggest Bock became particularly frustrated when video from a wedding of one of her employees surfaced online. The video showed a woman being presented with gold jewelry on a gold tray.

The spectacle prompted concern with at least one member of the Somali community, Abdihakiim Osman Nur. 

“Can someone tell me how and with what funds they were able to gift that office person that expensive gift?,” Nur wrote online. “We cannot close our eyes to such corruption which will put our entire community’s name in the news as fraudsters.”

When alerted that her first name was mentioned in the post, Bock responded with three words in all capital letters: “WHAT THE (expletive).”

Bock added, “Get that (expletive) cleaned up… One of my employees gets married and now it’s proof that I’m a fraud?”

As pressure mounted in the summer of 2021, prosecutors say Bock was worried that Said could turn on her, texting a consultant that he “has (expletive) to take me down.”

“The entire community is going to hang up on me to take me down,” she added.

In other testimony, jurors heard from FBI Forensic Accountant Lacramioara Blackwell, who described several food distribution sites paying kickback fees to Feeding Our Future employees. She will continue her testimony Tuesday morning.

The prosecution is expected to finish presenting its case this week. 

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You can find more of KSTP’s reporting on the Feeding Our Future case here.