A scheme that federal authorities have called the “largest pandemic fraud in the United States” reached inside Minneapolis City Hall when three recently departed mayoral appointees were indicted on fraud charges.

Mayor Jacob Frey’s former senior policy aide and his previous appointee as board chair of the public housing authority both face charges of defrauding the federal government in a scheme to spend millions of dollars in food-aid funds for personal use. Another Frey appointee—a former member of the mayor’s community safety workgroup—also faces charges in the case. The three men are among 48 people charged so far in the food-fraud case, as detailed in sweeping indictments that Andrew Luger, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, unveiled Tuesday.

All three—Abdi Salah, Sharmarke Issa, and Abdikadir Mohamud—left their posts by the end of February after they were implicated in court documents connected with the case.

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A Frey spokesperson said the mayor was not available for an interview and sent a brief statement: “We are grateful to U.S. Attorney Luger for his work on this case. The allegations are appalling.”