WASHINGTON, DC — Federal authorities say a key suspect in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud case has been arrested in Somalia, moving the investigation onto an international stage. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu and the arrest was announced by U.S. officials Friday.
Prosecutors say Eidleh was the alleged second-in-command to Aimee Bock, who was recently sentenced to more than 40 years in prison for her role in the case. Officials said the arrest happened through cooperation between the FBI and Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency.
How prosecutors describe the case
Authorities say the fraud centered on Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit that handled federal money meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, prosecutors charged 47 people in what they described as a roughly $250 million scheme, which at the time was the largest pandemic-relief fraud prosecuted in the U.S.
According to prosecutors, Eidleh helped recruit participants, collected bribes and kickbacks, and disguised some of that money as consulting fees routed through shell companies. He is also accused of creating meal sites under false names, claiming they served thousands of children each day, and inventing supplier companies to bill the government for food that was never delivered.
What officials say about the arrest
Neither U.S. nor Somali officials have said how Eidleh was tracked down. The Justice Department said the arrest was the result of coordination between U.S. and Somali intelligence and law enforcement.
U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen called Eidleh a major figure in the scheme, saying he helped recruit businesses and pay bribes to drain public money. Somali officials have not publicly commented on the arrest.
Minnesota fallout and broader tensions
The case has drawn heavy attention in Minnesota, home to the nation’s largest Somali community, including about 84,000 people of Somali descent in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Most are U.S.-born or naturalized citizens.
The Trump administration has used the Feeding Our Future case to press harder on Minnesota’s Somali community, including immigration enforcement actions and an effort to end Temporary Protected Status for about 1,100 Somalis. That move was blocked by a federal judge in March, and the legal fight continues.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.