Prof. Sam Merchant Interviewed by Axios About Lengths of Prison Sentences in Feeding Our Future Fraud Cases

Professor Sam Merchant was interviewed by Axios Twin Cities about the length of sentence Feeding Our Future leader Aimee Block was expecting to receive in her role pandemic-era fraud scheme. Some of the lower sentences given to 65 individuals who either pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial for their involvement in the fraud have attracted questions and criticism that a few months or years of probation or jail isn't harsh enough to deter future crimes. But Prof. Merchant, who reviewed sentencing data compiled by Axios, said the outcomes weren’t surprising and that the prison time for the more serious cases is actually harsher than expected based on similar cases. He said, “If anyone's thinking that this judge is light on these offenders, the data doesn’t bear that out.”