By Michelle Griffith | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz are in town today to hold a press conference announcing “major law enforcement action involving fraud in Minnesota.”
Max Nesterak will be there and have more for you later today. Max says that right-wing YouTube star Nick Shirley, who claims to have found widespread fraud in Minnesota’s safety net programs, is also at the press conference.
In addition, federal prosecutors this morning are seeking a 50-year prison sentence for Aimee Bock, the ringleader of the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme who was convicted last year for using the now notorious nonprofit to steal millions from a federal child nutrition program.
Bock has granted many jailhouse interviews denying that she was in charge of the fraud scheme and instead says she was trying to warn state officials of the fraud that was taking place under her watch.
“I remain the only person in this state that identified fraud and said, ‘You know what? These invoices are fake. These claims are fraudulent.’ And I was ignored,” Bock told the Sahan Journal.
That was also her defense during trial, which a federal jury didn’t buy and convicted her.
Bock’s defense attorney is seeking a three-year sentence. Alyssa Chen is there and will have more for you later today.
The Strib reports today on the the legislators — Sens. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin and Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul; and Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis and former Rep. Erik Mortensen, R-Shakopee — who contacted the Department of Education on behalf of Feeding Our Future or other meal providers later convicted of fraud.
They all say more or less that they were duped like everyone else.
Here’s today’s Reformer.
(Photo by Chad Davis/Minnesota Reformer)
By Brian Martucci
The Minneapolis Police Department may be required to make public far more records detailing misconduct by its officers after the state Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s ruling this week.
At issue is whether the public should have access to records of Minneapolis police officers who receive “coaching” for misconduct.
Under state law, police misconduct records are public when officers are disciplined. The Minneapolis Police Department argues “coaching” isn’t discipline but rather an internal performance management tool.
The city of Minneapolis has said it’s only used for minor infractions, but records show coaching has been used for allegations involving excessive force, failure to provide protection, discrimination, and police retaliation and harassment, a 2020 Reformer investigation found.
By Jonathan Shorman and Jacob Fischler
Polling shows most voters are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s job performance and historically, the party not in the White House wins seats in the midterms.
The GOP gerrymandering could offset some losses, analysts say. But whether voter displeasure with the president translates into enough Democratic gains to retake the House and usurp the GOP trifecta in Washington also remains to be seen, five months out.
By Madilyn Morgan and Kendra Bostick
Two therapists who work for LynLake Centers for Wellbeing argue that private equity firms are causing many therapists to feel strain by implementing a more demanding caseload and changing access to benefits without their consent. That’s why a supermajority of therapists there filed for a union election and are voting to form a union this month.
“In the wake of private equity takeover in mental health spaces, we believe a worker-led union is the only way therapists stand a chance to continue doing this job sustainably,” they write. “Without a union contract, mental health organizations like LynLake Centers for WellBeing can change our pay, work status, health insurance access or the number of clients we must see per week at any time without our consent.”
IN OTHER NEWS
OH BY THE WAY
President Trump’s allies are lining up to apply for the $1.8 billion compensation fund for people who were victims of government “weaponization and lawfare.”
The Trump administration says the fund is a way to financially compensate people who were unfairly targeted by former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, but critics say it’s simply a way to funnel taxpayer dollars to Trump’s allies.
Convicted Jan. 6 rioters and election deniers say they will apply. Among them is MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, according to CNN.
Lindell told CNN he believes his company lost $400 million because of government weaponization after he promoted baseless voter fraud claims. Lindell, who is running for Minnesota governor and will be seeking the GOP endorsement next weekend in Duluth, has been sued several times for his claims of election fraud.
“I would say we were the number-one company in the world hurt by our own government,” Lindell told CNN.
Lindell says he’s gone broke, spending millions defending his theory that the 2020 election was stolen. A federal jury last year found that Lindell defamed a former Dominion Voting Systems employee and was ordered to pay $2.3 million, pending appeal. Lindell in court testimony has said he’s $10 million in debt.
Lindell's campaign for governor is also buying boatloads of Lindell’s memoir, “What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO.” The MyPillow guy has said that instead of campaign flyers, he’s giving out copies of his book.
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