Photo Credit: US Department of Justice/ Abdikerm Eidleh
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) – One of the main perpetrators in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, Abdikerm Eidleh (42), was arrested Jun. 26, in Mogadishu, Somalia. He spent four years as a fugitive after fleeing the U.S. approximately two months prior to the issuing of search warrants surrounding the Feeding Our Future investigation. Eidleh’s arrest was a joint effort between Somalian Intelligence and the FBI. Federal officials say the arrest demonstrates the success of combined efforts in pursuing and catching suspects internationally.
He is alleged to be a key player and right-hand of Aimee Bock, the leader of the $250 million scheme. Bock was already convicted, and is serving 40+ years in prison for her crime. Current investigations have uncovered that Eidleh moved over $5 million in fraudulent funds through shell company accounts, and allegedly used $95 thousand of the estimated funds to make a mortgage down payment on a home in Burnsville, Minn. Once the connection was made to the Burnsville residence linked to him, his ex-wife divulged to investigators that he was in Africa.
He is also alleged to have recruited other businesses to take part in the fraud and coerced companies to turn in inflated reimbursement claims to the Minnesota Department of Education. Accusations also include falsely claiming thousands of children were served meals each day at food distribution sites that never existed.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/ Glen Stubbe, File – US District Attorney of Minn., Daniel Rosen
Some of the federal charges Eidleh faces include, but aren’t limited to: wire fraud, federal programs bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit all three aforementioned crimes. So far, 66 of the 79 individuals charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme have been convicted or have plead guilty. Prosecutors say fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs surrounding childcare, housing, and behavioral health is also evident in Minnesota.
According to the US District Attorney for Minnesota, Daniel Rosen, “The chapter for Feeding Our Future might be closing, but we’re still in the beginning of making sure we protect the American taxpayer.”
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
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