After Feeding Our Future’s founder Aimee Bock was convicted on fraud charges, it was revealed that her ex-boyfriend Empress Malcolm Watson Jr. has found himself in trouble with the law after being charged with tax crimes.
Life & Style breaks down everything to know about the situation.
How Investigators Started Looking Into Empress Malcolm Watson Jr.’s Tax Crimes
The Minnesota Department of Revenue said they started to become suspicious of Watson Jr. when they received a tip relating to “a separate criminal investigation of his significant other,” according to KSTP.
Between 2020 and 2022, Watson Jr. received over $1 million while working for Feeding Our Future. Additionally, he earned money for remodeling work his company did for the organization.
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Watson Jr. “significantly underreported” his taxable income by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to state officials, and he failed to file a return or pay income tax in 2022. The department said he owes $64,000 in income tax, per KSTP.
Additionally, Watson Jr. has been accused of buying travel, jewelry and vehicles worth $680,000 by making cash withdrawals or transferring money to other accounts.
What Crimes Has Empress Malcolm Watson Jr. Been Accused Of?
In light of the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s findings, Watson Jr. has been charged with two counts of filing false or fraudulent tax returns, one count of failing to file individual income tax returns and three counts of failing to pay income taxes, according to KSTP.
Aimee Bock Was Found Guilt of Fraud
Prior to the recent charges pressed against Watson Jr., Bock came under fire when she was identified as the mastermind behind the alleged scheme to trick taxpayers out of $250 million by exploiting government child nutrition programs through her Feeding Our Future organization.
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Bock committed her crimes while serving as the executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that participated in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. She oversaw a massive fraud scheme with restaurateur Salim Said, which they carried out under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.
Bock and Said were found guilty on all charges of wire fraud and bribery following a trial that ended in March 2025, according to MPR News.
“Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children,” Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said during the trial, per the United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota’s website.
“The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds. That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles. Today’s verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated.”
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Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis added, “Stealing from the federal government is stealing from the American people – plain and simple.The egregious fraud uncovered in the Feeding our Future case represents the blatant betrayal of public trust.”
“These criminals stole hundreds of millions in federal funding meant to feed hungry children during a crisis and instead funneled it into luxury homes, cars and lavish lifestyles while families struggled,” Winston Sr. continued, per the United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota’s website. “The FBI will not allow criminals to rob federal programs and walk away unscathed. We will expose their schemes, dismantle their networks, and ensure they face the full weight of justice.”
