Leader of Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme Arrested in Somalia

The leader of the largest Minnesota pandemic-era fraud scheme was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, this week.

Abdikerm Eidleh, 43, was finally taken into custody this week, more than three years after he was indicted in the ‘Feeding Our Future’ fraud probe.

A total of 78 people were indicted or charged by the DOJ in connection with the $350 million Feeding Our Future scheme.

CBS News reported:

An alleged leader of the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country was arrested overseas after being on the run for more than four years, according to federal officials.

Abdikerm Eidleh, 43, was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier this week in a daytime raid coordinated by both the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies. He was indicted in September 2022 as part of the sweeping $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.

“This is a big fish,” Daniel Rosen, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, told CBS News. “Eidleh was a key leader and was responsible for bribing and recruiting business to steal from the American taxpayer.”

Rosen said Eidleh was “second in command” to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the scheme, who was just sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.

Investigators allege Eidleh personally collected $5 million in bribes and kickbacks after instructing restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement.

Earlier this month, one of the FBI’s most wanted fraud suspects in the massive Feeding Our Future scandal was finally returned to face justice.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Said Abdullahi Ereg peacefully surrendered to federal agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after spending nearly two years overseas while facing charges in what has become one of the largest COVID-era fraud schemes in American history.

Ereg, who owned and operated Evergreen Grocery and Deli in south Minneapolis, was indicted on June 24, 2024, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

He exploited the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic — a program meant to feed children in need — and allegedly obtained, misappropriated, and laundered more than $4.2 million in taxpayer funds through his business, which operated under the sponsorship of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.

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