Feeding Our Future Fraud Suspect Extradited From Somalia To Minnesota

TWIN CITIES, MN — A former Burnsville resident accused of playing a leading role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been returned to Minnesota to face charges, nearly four years after he was indicted, federal officials announced Thursday.

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was transferred to Minnesota on July 16 after lawfully surrendering in Somalia, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota.

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He faces 31 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.

Eidleh was among the defendants originally charged in September 2022 in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme, a scandal involving roughly $250 million in fraud tied to a program meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal warrant for his arrest was issued that same month. He fled overseas after being charged, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Law enforcement located Eidleh in Somalia in June, U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said.

Special agents with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation escorted him back to Minnesota with help from Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency, the Somali Police Force and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs.

"Abdikerm Eidleh is second only to Aimee Bock in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme," Rosen said. "His capture and transfer back to Minnesota show how far the arm of American law enforcement can reach, and that you can run, but you cannot hide."

Patel called the case "a historic moment in this FBI's war on fraud," noting it marks the 25th international transfer carried out by the bureau in the past month. He said the FBI has helped secure more than 70 guilty pleas in the broader Feeding Our Future investigation.

IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes said forensic accounting work helped agents trace the money and build the case against Eidleh.

Eidleh is scheduled to make his initial court appearance July 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty.

The case is being handled through the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, created in April, which supports a broader federal task force on eliminating fraud in benefit programs chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.