Tag: taxes

Minnesota ‘Feeding Our Future’ Somali Fraud Mastermind Aimee Bock Sentenced to Over 41 Years in Prison

Aimee Bock, the convicted mastermind behind the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal, has been sentenced to 41.5 years in federal prison.

The sentencing, handed down Thursday, was over her role in a massive scheme that fraudulently billed taxpayers for tens of millions of meals that were never provided to low-income children during the pandemic.

The fraud was centered in Minnesota’s large Somali community and involved dozens of defendants.

Bock, who founded Feeding Our Future, was convicted in March 2025 on multiple counts, including conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud. She had been the central figure coordinating the operation that exploited relaxed federal rules during the COVID-19 emergency.

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Seattle LGBT Commission Demands Taxpayer-Funded Housing and ‘State of Emergency’ for ‘Trans Refugees’ Fleeing Republican States, Socialist Mayor Promises Action Despite $175 Million Budget Deficit

Seattle’s official LGBT Commission is calling on socialist Mayor Katie Wilson to declare a formal “state of emergency” over what it calls a “trans relocation crisis,” and is demanding the city provide free housing and taxpayer-funded salaries for trans activist groups to support thousands of transgender-identifying individuals allegedly fleeing red states.

The commission claims “tens of thousands” of “trans refugees” have fled to Seattle in order to escape “genocidal and vile legislation” passed in Republican states that restrict sex change procedures for minors.

In an official statement, the advisory body demanded the city immediately step up with housing “run by trans orgs for trans people,” pay unemployed volunteers who are “fighting full-time against this crisis,” and offer protection from the federal government.

A coalition of trans activist groups, including the Antifa-affiliated “Moto Hooligans,” has announced a rally and march on Saturday, May 23, at Cal Anderson Park to pressure Mayor Wilson to meet their demands.

The Post Millennial reports:

A coalition of trans activist groups, including the Antifa-affiliated “Moto Hooligans,” stated that they need more financial resources to assist the “tens of thousands” of transgender “refugees” who have allegedly moved to Seattle to escape what they call the Trump administration’s “genocide” of trans people, according to a Tuesday social media post. As a result, the coalition has demanded free housing for trans people, as well as the allocation of taxpayer funds to pay trans activists to assist with the so-called “crisis.”

The group announced a Saturday, May 23, rally and march at Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park, the former CHAZ/CHOP zone, to demand further resources from Mayor Wilson, a socialist who took office earlier this year.

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House Oversight Officially Launches Full-Blown Investigation Into Massive Ohio Medicaid Fraud Scheme Allegedly Tied to Somali Networks — Rep. Brandon Gill: “Billions of Dollars” Stolen From Taxpayers

The House Oversight Committee is officially turning up the heat on what could become one of the largest Medicaid fraud scandals in American history.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer and Rep. Brandon Gill have launched a sweeping federal investigation into alleged rampant abuse of Ohio’s Medicaid system after explosive reports revealed suspicious billing patterns centered around two ZIP codes near Columbus, Ohio, an area home to one of the largest Somali populations in the United States.

According to reports cited by House Republicans, a state audit found that Franklin County, home to just 11.5% of Ohio’s population, accounted for roughly 38% to 40% of the $1.6 billion spent statewide, with nearly 40% of that amount flowing to just two neighboring ZIP codes, totaling approximately $240 million.

Auditors also identified a 15.6% error rate in eligibility determinations, raising concerns that improper payments could range from $800 million to as much as $4 billion.

Additional reporting uncovered nearly vacant office buildings allegedly housing hundreds of billing companies. Ohio officials have since brought charges against some providers and maintain that safeguards are in place, while both state investigators and a federal task force continue to examine the potential fraud.

The Oversight Committee announced a brand-new task force specifically aimed at exposing institutional abuses, fraud, and misuse of taxpayer-funded social welfare programs, with Gill tapped to lead the charge.

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Quantum Stocks Erupt As U.S. Gov’t Awards $2 Billion, Takes Equity Stakes

IBM and small-cap quantum names, including IonQ, D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, Infleqtion, and other peers, are surging in New York premarket trading after a Wall Street Journal report said the Trump administration is preparing to award $2 billion in CHIPS Act grants to nine quantum-computing companies.

IBM is set to receive half of the $2 billion tranche, or about $1 billion, as the large-cap leader in the race to build quantum computing systems that could revolutionize national security, accelerate scientific discovery, and deliver a range of other economic benefits.

WSJ, citing the Commerce Department, outlined the companies expected to receive funding from the 2022 Chips and Science Act:

The department has agreed to give $1 billion of the package to IBM, a leader in the race to build computers that use quantum mechanics to solve problems much faster than traditional supercomputers.

. . .

IBM and other companies are working to develop specialized chips for quantum computing, a focus for the government in its bid to spur domestic supply chains. Chip maker GlobalFoundries is receiving $375 million in funding.

The rest of the firms are expected to receive $100 million, except for startup Diraq, which is slated to get $38 million.

A slew of companies pursuing various approaches to quantum are slated to be awarded funds, including publicly traded firms D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing and Infleqtion.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s strategy of using federal funding in exchange for equity stakes will also apply to the quantum computing companies listed above. This is similar to a series of other deals, especially in the rare earths space, including rare-earth magnet maker Vulcan Elements and mining company MP Materials.

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Taxpayers forced to foot billion-dollar-bill for FIFA World Cup games

On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, B.C. director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Carson Binda discussed how Canadian taxpayers are being forced to spend approximately $1 billion to host part of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Canada will host 13 matches during the World Cup, which runs across North America from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The matches will be split between two Canadian host cities: Toronto (6 matches) and Vancouver (7 matches).

Binda condemned federal, provincial and municipal politicians for allocating such huge sums of taxpayers’ hard-earned funds on a sporting event like this.

“Politicians are wasting a million dollars per minute hosting a handful of international soccer games,” he said. “This is an outrageous amount of money coming right from your pocket going out the door on these soccer games,” Binda continued.

“FIFA is leaving taxpayers with big pocketbook pain, without the promised economic gain,” he added.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the total public cost at approximately $1.07 billion, with the federal government contributing $473 million and the remainder covered by provincial and municipal governments.

More than one million visitors are projected to travel to Canada for the World Cup matches in Toronto and Vancouver. Toronto’s hosting budget stands at $380 million, covering operating and capital costs such as stadium upgrades and event services.

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How China Used the Green Scam to Win American Taxpayer Dollars

Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, who also served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, joined The Patriot Perspective to discuss his new book, China’s War on Faith, and delivered a blunt warning about the threat Communist China poses to the United States, religious freedom, and Western civilization.

Brownback, who served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom during President Donald Trump’s first term, called the Chinese Communist Party “the most significant adversary we’ve faced in the last century.”

That warning should shape how Americans view one of the greatest policy scams of the modern era: the so-called green transition.

For years, the American people were told that solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and battery mandates were necessary to save the planet. Politicians framed green energy as a moral cause, not just an economic program. Anyone who questioned the agenda was accused of denying science, opposing progress, or standing in the way of a cleaner future.

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Christopher Rufo Says California Fraud Is Stealing Taxpayer Money on a Scale That Makes Minnesota Look Like ‘Child’s Play’

The fraud scandal that resulted in billions being stolen from American taxpayers in Minnesota is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fraud on a national scale, a conservative author and activist said in a podcast released Wednesday.

And while revelations about Minnesota’s scandal ended the political career of Gov. Tim Walz, another Democratic governor making national headlines is far worse, the Manhattan Institute’s Christopher Rufo said.

“The scale of it in the state of California is just another level entirely,” he said, according to the New York Post. In fact, he said, it makes Minnesota’s massive fraud look like “child’s play.”

Rufo was speaking on “Pod Force One,” a podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.

Minnesota’s fraud has been largely centered in the state’s large Somali community. But in Newsom’s California, the potential for theft has attracted a global element.

“Individuals from all walks of life, all nationalities, even all parts of the country have recognized that the California government is essentially open to business for fraud schemes,” Rufo said, according to the New York Post report.

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Senate Republicans Don’t Have the Votes to Fund Trump’s Ballroom

President Donald Trump may not be getting taxpayer money for his ballroom after all.

Senate Republicans on Wednesday indicated they expect the funds intended to secure the planned East Wing project to be stripped out of the single-party package because they lack the votes to include the money in the bill.

Adding to the troubles, Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, ruled that language fails to pass muster with the strict budget rules for what can be included in the $72 billion proposal for border security priorities.

“We’re going back to square one,” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told NOTUS. “What I’m told is it’s not based on an interpretation by the parliamentarian. The votes are not there. If we go forward, we will lose.”

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also said Republicans don’t have the votes to pass the funding, warning that if they go forward with it, it would needlessly subject Republicans to brutal Democratic attacks ahead of the November midterms.

“They should have never conflated the other legitimate Secret Service needs because it’s just giving everybody the ‘billion dollar ballroom’ and it’s just a bad idea,” Tillis told NOTUS.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged the struggle to lock down the votes, telling reporters that despite Trump’s calls to oust the parliamentarian, that is the lesser of the worries at present.

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DOJ’s Anti-Weaponization Fund Leaves Taxpayers With the Bill

The Justice Department has created a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement ending President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

DOJ describes in its announcement that the fund will help “hear and redress” claims of Americans “who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

As well-documented as the weaponization of justice has become, this development leaves a central question unanswered: If the government was weaponized, who broke the law? And if no official is held responsible, why do taxpayers pay the bill?

The Settlement

The fund comes from President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, a case filed after Trump’s tax returns were leaked. The plaintiffs were President Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization. They sued the Treasury Department and IRS in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.

Under the settlement, they will receive a formal apology, but no direct monetary payment or damages. In return, they agreed to drop the $10 billion lawsuit with prejudice. They also agreed to withdraw two administrative claims, including claims tied to “the unlawful raid of Mar-a-Lago and the Russia-collusion hoax.”

But the settlement does not simply end the case. It creates a new federal fund ostensibly aimed at addressing past injustices.

The Fund

The Justice Department framed the new Anti-Weaponization Fund as a response to political abuse of government power:

“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter made the same argument in broader terms:

The use of government power to target individuals or entities for improper and unlawful political, personal, or ideological reasons should not be tolerated by any Administration.

That is a defensible principle. Undoubtedly, tax agencies, prosecutors, and law-enforcement bodies should not become tools of factional politics.

The money will come from the newly minted “judgment fund,” describe as a “perpetual appropriation allowing DOJ to settle and pay cases.” The fund will receive $1.776 billion.

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U.S. Admits Losing Over 40 Aircraft In War On Iran

A Congressional report released on May 19 revealed that the United States military lost at least 42 aircraft during 40 days of war on Iran.

The report, prepared for Congress using information from the Pentagon, United States Central Command, and defense media outlets, estimated the total cost of the aircraft losses at approximately $2.6 billion. The aerial losses include fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, refueling planes, combat rescue helicopters, and drones.

Among the aircraft destroyed or damaged, according to the document, were four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jet, one A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet, seven KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes, and one E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft.

The report also listed the loss of two MC-130J Commando II special operations transport planes, one HH-60W Jolly Green II special operations helicopter, 24 MQ-9 Reaper combat drones, and one MQ-4C Triton high altitude surveillance naval drone.

Replacing some of the destroyed aircraft could require restarting production lines for systems that are no longer manufactured, the document said.

It also noted that the destruction of an E-3 Sentry could force the Pentagon to revive the cancelled E-7 Wedgetail replacement program at a cost exceeding $2.5 billion.

Analysts cited in the document estimated that total aircraft losses and replacement programs could eventually exceed $7 billion.

The number confirmed by the Congressional report is still short of the 56 U.S. military aircraft documented in Wikipedia’s list of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iran war, which only counts losses based on visual evidence or official self-admission.

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