Mark Osler, professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, spoke with KSTP about why properties tied to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme remain in the hands of defendants despite federal plans to seize them. Osler said large-scale financial cases often involve lengthy legal steps before forfeiture can be completed, noting that recovering taxpayer money is a critical but slow part of the criminal process.
From the story:
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota estimate they have recovered more than $60 million of the $250 million stolen from taxpayers in fraud connected to Feeding Our Future.
Just last month, a judge ordered one defendant to pay $48 million in restitution. But investigators also say a large portion of the proceeds from the sprawling meal program fraud are tied up in real estate, cars and other property.
Court records reveal the government has targeted many of those properties for forfeiture, but long after some defendants were charged, convicted and – in one case – sentenced, 5 INVESTIGATES found they are still the official owners of houses purchased with stolen money.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it has already completed the seizure of many other properties connected to Feeding Our Future, but that it must let the full legal process play out in each case.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Mark Osler says the process of recovering taxpayer dollars in a fraud investigation as large as Feeding Our Future is a slow but important one.
“This is something in criminal law that too often gets forgotten,” Osler said. “We pay attention to ‘the body,’ when someone walks into court. When they’re taken away to prison. But the harm is often in the money.”
