A Minnesota man accused of helping orchestrate the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been taken into custody in Somalia after more than four years abroad, federal officials said.
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was arrested June 25 in Mogadishu, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. Eidleh was indicted in September 2022 as part of the pandemic-era child nutrition fraud case that prosecutors have described as one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.
The indictment alleges 31 counts against Eidleh, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
The charges remain allegations unless proven in court.
Prosecutors Called Him A Central Figure
DOJ said Eidleh was an employee of Feeding Our Future who recruited and supported Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the nonprofit’s sponsorship. According to court documents, Eidleh and other Feeding Our Future employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from people and companies seeking approval to operate fraudulent meal sites.
The indictment describes Feeding Our Future as a pay-to-play operation in which fraudulent site operators kicked back a portion of illicit proceeds to employees, including Eidleh. Prosecutors said some of those payments were disguised as “consulting fees” through shell companies.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division called Eidleh “a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.” KSTP reported that Eidleh was considered the right-hand man of Feeding Our Future ringleader Aimee Bock, who was sentenced in May to 500 months in prison.
The Indictment Alleges More Than $5M Moved Through Shell Companies
Federal prosecutors said Eidleh created Federal Child Nutrition Program sites in the names of nominee owners and falsely claimed those sites were serving meals to thousands of children per day. DOJ said he also created shell companies that purported to be meal vendors for those sites and submitted fraudulent invoices to obtain federal nutrition program money.
The indictment alleges Eidleh deposited more than $5 million in kickbacks, bribes, and other fraud proceeds into accounts tied to his shell companies, using them to conceal the true source and nature of the funds. KSTP reported that court records also describe Eidleh as controlling shell companies tied to Feeding Our Future and say he was responsible for recruiting new sites.
KSTP reported that prosecutors also allege Eidleh made a $95,000 payment toward a mortgage on a home in Burnsville. The station reported that Eidleh was believed to have fled the country roughly two months before the initial Feeding Our Future search warrants were served.
The FBI Credited Somali Intelligence
FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson thanked Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency for helping locate and apprehend Eidleh. DOJ said the broader case is the result of work by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
“With the apprehension of Abdikerm Eidleh, the FBI’s partnerships with law enforcement worldwide again send a message – the FBI’s reach is far and wide,” Dotson said in the DOJ announcement.
U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said Eidleh’s capture shows that people accused of fraud against American taxpayers cannot avoid prosecution by hiding overseas.