Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, accused of playing a central role in a $300million scheme to defraud Minnesota’s federally funded child nutrition program, has been returned to the United States nearly four years after fleeing to Somalia. Eidleh, 42, was transferred to Minnesota on 16 July following what the Justice Department described as his lawful surrender in Somalia, made possible through cooperation between the FBI, the Somali Police Force, Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), and Somalia’s Ministry of Justice.
Eidleh was indicted almost four years ago in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme, but fled back to his home country of Somalia rather than face the charges against him. He now faces 31 federal charges, 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 Justice Department said Eidleh was located in Somalia in June 2026, nearly four years after a federal arrest warrant was first issued in September 2022. He was escorted back to the United States by FBI agents and IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, rather than being transported through commercial channels, and is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court before US Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty.
A key figure in the alleged fraud network
Prosecutors allege Eidleh served as second-in-command to Aimee Bock, who was sentenced in May to more than 41 years in prison for orchestrating the wider scheme to defraud taxpayers through fraudulent reimbursements to the Feeding Our Future food charity. According to witnesses at Bock’s trial, Eidleh used his connections to East African restaurant owners in Minnesota to show them how to inflate meal counts and submit false invoices for reimbursement through government-funded meal programmes, with restaurant owners reportedly more willing to discuss the scheme with him because he spoke their language, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Prosecutors allege Eidleh’s role extended beyond recruitment, claiming he also created his own fake meal sites registered under nominee owners and established shell companies posing as food vendors in order to submit fraudulent invoices. Authorities allege more than $5million in kickbacks, bribes and fraud proceeds were deposited into accounts linked to these shell companies in an effort to disguise the money’s origin.
Testimony from a co-conspirator
One restaurant owner, Lul Bashir Ali, testified at Bock’s trial that she paid Eidleh $30,000 every month in kickbacks, describing how the Somali community had been central to the scheme. “We trust them, because they are Somali,” Ali said, explaining why restaurant owners were willing to participate in the fraudulent claims Eidleh allegedly helped orchestrate. Ali pleaded guilty in 2023 to defrauding taxpayers of $5million through the meal programme.
How the scheme worked
Federal prosecutors say the alleged fraud involved exploiting the Federal Child Nutrition Program, with fake meal sites falsely claiming to serve thousands of children each day while diverting much of the funding elsewhere. The scheme continued for years throughout the pandemic. Court records show Eidleh had been living in Burnsville, Minnesota, before fleeing the United States following his 2022 indictment.
Officials react to his capture
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald described Eidleh as “a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history,” adding that he “robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed.” US Attorney Daniel Rosen praised the arrest as evidence of the reach of American law enforcement, saying it demonstrated “how far the arm of American law enforcement can reach, and that you can run, but you cannot hide.” FBI Director Kash Patel also welcomed the development, calling it a “historic moment in this FBI’s war on fraud” and noting that “this FBI has already helped secure over 70 guilty pleas from fraudsters in partnership with the Justice Department, [and] Eidleh was allegedly right at the top of the operation.”
The Justice Department said the case now falls under its recently created National Fraud Enforcement Division, established in April to focus on investigating and prosecuting major fraud against the US government, and thanked Somali authorities for their role in helping return Eidleh to face trial.
Part of a wider crackdown
IRS Criminal Investigation said forensic accountants had tracked the movement of the allegedly stolen funds over several years, helping investigators unravel the wider fraud network and ultimately locate Eidleh after years on the run. His arrest came just weeks after another alleged conspirator in the Feeding Our Future scheme, Said Ereg, 47, was arrested after fleeing to Kenya. Ereg surrendered to authorities after being named on the FBI’s “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list, with prosecutors alleging he too had swindled millions through child nutrition programmes. Officials said the wider Feeding Our Future investigation has now resulted in more than 70 guilty pleas from defendants connected to the scheme.
