Minnesota fraud mastermind to face sentencing for $250 million scheme
Emily Compagno and the “Outnumbered” panel examined the Minnesota COVID-era fraud case, including the pending sentencing of Aimee Bock in connection with an alleged $250 million scheme. The segment also focused on claims that state officials may have known about concerns earlier and failed to fully assist federal investigators, fueling demands for accountability from voices including Kayleigh McEnany and JD Vance.
A man accused of playing a key role in a $250 million Minnesota fraud operation tied to a federal child nutrition program has been arrested in Somalia after nearly four years as a fugitive, federal officials announced.
The Justice Department said Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was apprehended Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Authorities say Eidleh was among the alleged organizers of the “Feeding Our Future” fraud scheme, a case prosecutors have called one of the biggest fraud investigations in Minnesota’s history.
Eidleh was formally charged in the case on Sept. 13, 2022.
Federal officials say Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh helped direct a $250 million fraud scheme involving a federal child nutrition program in Minnesota. (Getty Images; FBI)
He is facing 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.
“This defendant was a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement.
“He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed,” McDonald continued. “Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice. That attempt ended thanks to the exceptional work of our FBI partners.”
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Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was arrested in Somalia after authorities said he spent nearly four years as a fugitive in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud case. (FBI)
According to court documents, Eidleh was responsible for recruiting and supporting Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the program’s sponsorship while working as an employee of Feeding Our Future.
Prosecutors allege Eidleh, along with other members of the scheme, solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies seeking approval to operate fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program sites.
According to the indictment, Feeding Our Future 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.
The indictment further alleges Eidleh created Federal Child Nutrition Program sites using nominee owners, then falsely claimed the sites were serving meals to thousands of children each day.
Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division Colin McDonald addresses media to announce actions for combating fraud in Minnesota at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota on May 21, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (David Berding/Getty Images)
Prosecutors allege he also created shell companies posing as meal vendors for those sites and submitted fraudulent invoices to obtain federal nutrition program funds.
According to prosecutors, Eidleh deposited more than $5 million in fraud proceeds, kickbacks and bribes into accounts associated with shell companies in an effort to conceal the source of the money.
