Minnesota man who pocketed cash in kids' meal scheme gets prison time despite 'I'm sorry' apology

According to his guilty plea, Ali submitted fake invoices for technology services from his company, Bilterms Solutions, to Youth Inventors Lab. 

The Justice Department claimed the Youth Inventors Lab received more than $3 million in reimbursements, of which Ali personally pocketed at least $129,000.

While the recommended sentence for Ali's crimes is about three years, the court noted Ali had already paid $90,000 of the $122,000 of ordered restitution, and was one of the first people to plead guilty.

"Let me also add, aggravating factors of not just the money, but the fact that the public trust in government programs has been so substantially undermined and continues to be so," she continued. "We are still having a conversation in this state about the structure of government programs, given the fraud you participated in, and the impact and ripples of that scheme just keep going on and on and on, and you are one reason for it."

"Stole millions from a program meant to feed children and got one year," one user wrote. "Meanwhile, people go to jail longer for drug possession. This is the Minnesota fraud that Tuberville was talking about. The system is broken and the sentence proves it."

Other users said the outcome failed to rebuild confidence in the legal system, noting "a slap on the wrist isn't justice."