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Somali intelligence helps US arrest alleged ringleader of Minnesota fraud

Somali intelligence helps US arrest alleged ringleader of Minnesota fraud

Summary

US prosecutors, working with Somali intelligence, arrested Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh in Mogadishu for his role in a major fraud case in Minnesota. Eidleh is accused of helping run a scheme that misused federal COVID-19 relief money meant for feeding children and fled to Somalia to avoid arrest.

Key Facts

  • Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was arrested in Mogadishu with help from Somalia’s National Intelligence and US FBI.
  • He is linked to a $250 million fraud involving Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit.
  • The fraud stole federal money meant for child nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Eidleh is said to have recruited others, collected bribes, and set up fraudulent meal sites and fake suppliers.
  • 47 people were charged in this fraud case in 2022; the main person, Aimee Bock, got over 40 years in prison.
  • Eidleh escaped to Somalia as the fraud was uncovered.
  • The Trump administration has focused on this case to increase scrutiny of Minnesota’s Somali community.
  • There have been efforts to end protections for Somali immigrants, including attempts to end Temporary Protected Status, which a judge blocked.
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