FBI Arrests Somali Man Involved in Minnesota $250M Fraud Scheme
Federal authorities have arrested a Minnesota man accused of playing a central role in a $250 million fraud scheme involving federally funded child nutrition programs after he fled to Somalia to avoid prosecution, the FBI announced Saturday.
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody June 25 in Mogadishu, Somalia, following a multinational investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest Saturday.
Eidleh was indicted in 2022 on 31 federal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bribery concerning federal programs and money laundering. Prosecutors allege he was a key participant in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, one of the largest pandemic-related fraud cases in Minnesota history.
According to court records, Eidleh worked for Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that sponsored meal distribution sites reimbursed through federal child nutrition programs. Investigators say he recruited and oversaw meal sites while accepting bribes and kickbacks from individuals seeking approval to operate fraudulent locations.
Prosecutors allege many of the meal sites existed only on paper or vastly inflated the number of meals they claimed to serve. Operators allegedly returned portions of the fraud proceeds through shell companies disguised as consulting businesses.
Authorities say Eidleh also established his own fraudulent meal sites using nominee owners while claiming thousands of meals were being served to children each day. The indictment alleges he created fictitious food vendors, submitted fraudulent invoices and obtained millions of dollars in federal reimbursements for meals that were never provided.
Investigators said more than $5 million in kickbacks, bribes and fraud proceeds flowed through shell companies tied to Eidleh, helping conceal the origin of the funds.
The scheme allegedly diverted money intended to provide meals for low-income children and families across Minnesota during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This defendant was a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement.
“Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said. “That attempt ended thanks to the exceptional work of our FBI partners. The Department of Justice will continue to track down and prosecute fraudsters wherever they run and wherever they hide.”
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody June 25 in Mogadishu, Somalia, following a multinational investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest Saturday.
Eidleh was indicted in 2022 on 31 federal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bribery concerning federal programs and money laundering. Prosecutors allege he was a key participant in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, one of the largest pandemic-related fraud cases in Minnesota history.
According to court records, Eidleh worked for Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that sponsored meal distribution sites reimbursed through federal child nutrition programs. Investigators say he recruited and oversaw meal sites while accepting bribes and kickbacks from individuals seeking approval to operate fraudulent locations.
Prosecutors allege many of the meal sites existed only on paper or vastly inflated the number of meals they claimed to serve. Operators allegedly returned portions of the fraud proceeds through shell companies disguised as consulting businesses.
Authorities say Eidleh also established his own fraudulent meal sites using nominee owners while claiming thousands of meals were being served to children each day. The indictment alleges he created fictitious food vendors, submitted fraudulent invoices and obtained millions of dollars in federal reimbursements for meals that were never provided.
Investigators said more than $5 million in kickbacks, bribes and fraud proceeds flowed through shell companies tied to Eidleh, helping conceal the origin of the funds.
The scheme allegedly diverted money intended to provide meals for low-income children and families across Minnesota during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This defendant was a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement.
“Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said. “That attempt ended thanks to the exceptional work of our FBI partners. The Department of Justice will continue to track down and prosecute fraudsters wherever they run and wherever they hide.”
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