Minnesota Fraud Suspect Captured in Somalia After Four-year Manhunt
WHO:
CNN - Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division stated, "He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed."
CBS News - Abdikerm Eidleh is 43 years old at the time of his arrest.
CBS News - Daniel Rosen stated, "This is a big fish," referring to Eidleh's significance in the case.
CNN - Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody.
CBS News - Daniel Rosen, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, described Eidleh as "second in command" to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the scheme.
CBS News - Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.
CBS News - Christopher Dotson, FBI Special Agent in Charge at FBI Minneapolis, commented on the arrest.
WHAT:
CBS News - Eidleh was arrested in a daytime raid coordinated by both the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies.
Fox News - Eidleh was charged in connection with the scheme on Sept. 13, 2022.
Fox News - Eidleh is accused of creating Federal Child Nutrition Program sites using nominee owners and falsely claiming the sites were serving meals to thousands of children each day.
CBS News - Eidleh was indicted in September 2022 as part of the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.
CBS News - Eidleh is accused of personally collecting $5 million in bribes and kickbacks.
CNN - Eidleh is charged with orchestrating a $250 million fraud scheme related to a federal meals program.
CNN - Eidleh faces 31 counts 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.
CBS News - Eidleh was arrested in a daytime raid coordinated by the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies.
CBS News - Eidleh allegedly collected $5 million in bribes and kickbacks.
CBS News - 79 people have been charged in the Feeding Our Future case, with 66 having been convicted or pleading guilty.
WHERE:
CNN - Eidleh was taken into custody in Mogadishu, Somalia.
CBS News - The fraud scheme involved the Minnesota Department of Education.
WHEN:
CBS News - Eidleh was arrested earlier this week.
CNN - Eidleh was indicted in 2022.
CBS News - Eidleh was arrested earlier this week.
WHY:
Fox News - Prosecutors allege Eidleh operated a "pay-to-play" scheme in which operators of fraudulent meal sites kicked back a portion of their illicit proceeds to employees, including Eidleh, often disguising the payments as consulting fees through shell companies.
CBS News - Rosen mentioned that the total amount of fraud in Minnesota could top $1 billion.
CNN - The fraud scheme was designed to defraud a federal meals program intended to provide meals to children in need during the pandemic.
CBS News - Rosen stated that Eidleh was responsible for bribing and recruiting businesses to steal from the American taxpayer.
HOW:
Fox News - Eidleh deposited more than $5 million in fraud proceeds, kickbacks, and bribes into accounts associated with shell companies to conceal the source of the money.
CBS News - Eidleh instructed restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement.
CNN - Eidleh is accused of creating fake child nutrition program sites and shell companies that falsely claimed to be meal vendors.
CBS News - Eidleh instructed restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted for reimbursement.
(UPDATED June 27, 2026 07:51 UTC)
In a significant development, Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald stated that Eidleh not only stole taxpayer dollars but also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed. Eidleh was arrested in a coordinated daytime raid by the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies and faces charges related to a scheme involving fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program sites, which falsely claimed to serve thousands of meals to children each day. Prosecutors allege that Eidleh operated a "pay-to-play" scheme, depositing over $5 million in fraud proceeds into accounts linked to shell companies to hide the source of the money.
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(UPDATED June 27, 2026 04:20 UTC)
Abdikerm Eidleh, who is 43 years old, was arrested earlier this week and is a significant figure in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation, according to Daniel Rosen, who referred to him as "a big fish." Eidleh was indicted in September 2022 and is accused of personally collecting $5 million in bribes and kickbacks while instructing restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement. Rosen also noted that the total amount of fraud in Minnesota could exceed $1 billion.
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(UPDATED June 27, 2026 01:36 UTC)
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, a 42-year-old from Burnsville, Minnesota, was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, for his alleged role as "second in command" in a $250 million fraud scheme related to a federal meals program intended to help children during the pandemic. Eidleh faces 31 charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and is accused of orchestrating a scheme that involved creating fake child nutrition program sites and instructing businesses to inflate receipts for reimbursement. This case is part of a larger investigation where 79 individuals have been charged, with 66 already convicted or pleading guilty, following the indictment of Eidleh in 2022.