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Suspect in Minnesota fraud case arrested in Somalia after 4 years on the run, officials say
MINNEAPOLIS — An alleged leader of the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country has been arrested overseas after being on the run for more than four years, according to federal officials. Abdikerm Eidleh, 42, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia, in a daytime raid coordinated by both the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies. […]
Abdikerm Eidleh, an alleged leader in a $250 million pandemic-era fraud scheme, was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia after four years on the run.
What was announced
- Eidleh was indicted in September 2022 for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.
- He is accused of collecting $5 million in bribes and kickbacks while instructing businesses to inflate receipts.
- 79 people have been charged in connection with the case, with 66 already convicted or pleading guilty.
Context
The arrest follows a lengthy investigation into a large-scale fraud scheme that exploited taxpayer-funded programs during the pandemic.
“This is a big fish.”
Why this matters: The case highlights issues of fraud within social service programs that affect taxpayer resources, which is significant for the Somali community in Minnesota.
Original report with a saved translation · English
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MINNEAPOLIS — An alleged leader of the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country has been arrested overseas after being on the run for more than four years, according to federal officials.
Abdikerm Eidleh, 42, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia, in a daytime raid coordinated by both the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies. He was indicted in September 2022 as part of the sweeping $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.
“This is a big fish,” Daniel Rosen, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, told CBS News. “Eidleh was a key leader and was responsible for bribing and recruiting business to steal from the American taxpayer.”
Rosen said Eidleh was “second in command” to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the scheme, who was just sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.
Source noteWhy this story appears
This report is shown because it came from Warkasta’s monitored source network and matches the current section, recency, and coverage labels.
Why this story appears
This report is shown because it came from Warkasta’s monitored source network and matches the current section, recency, and coverage labels.
- Source count
- 1
- Sources used
- Shabelle Media
- Language mix
- English
- Translation status
- Shown in its original language
- AI synthesis
- No AI synthesis is used for this story panel
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