A fugitive accused of helping orchestrate a $250 million Minnesota fraud scheme that exploited a federal child nutrition program has been captured in Somalia after nearly four years on the run. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Thursday.
Eidleh is alleged to have been one of the architects of the "Feeding Our Future" fraud scheme, which authorities have described as one of the largest fraud cases in Minnesota history. He was charged in connection with the scheme on September 13, 2022, and faces 31 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that Eidleh was a central figure in the scheme, which involved recruiting and supporting Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the program's sponsorship while working as an employee of Feeding Our Future. He is accused of soliciting and receiving bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies seeking approval to operate fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program sites.
The indictment alleges that Eidleh created Federal Child Nutrition Program sites using nominee owners, then falsely claimed the sites were serving meals to thousands of children each day. He also allegedly created shell companies posing as meal vendors for those sites and submitted fraudulent invoices to obtain federal nutrition program funds.
Eidleh is accused of depositing 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. His capture was hailed as a success by federal authorities, who noted that he had fled to Somalia in an attempt to evade justice.
