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Suspected Feeding Our Future Fraud Leader Arrested in Somalia
Confirmed
In Short: Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, a key figure in the Feeding Our Future child nutrition aid fraud scheme, was apprehended in Mogadishu, Somalia, after evading justice for over four years.
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, a central suspect in the Feeding Our Future child nutrition aid fraud scheme, was apprehended in Mogadishu, Somalia, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency. Eidleh, described as a 'big fish' by U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen, was one of dozens indicted for a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded a federal meals program of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Rosen, who previously told CBS News that the total fraud could top $1 billion, said Eidleh was 'second in command' to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader who was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison. The arrest comes after Eidleh had been on the run for more than four years, with Somali authorities expressing concern about citizens of other countries and dual nationals returning to evade justice.
According to court documents, Eidleh was an employee of Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit that claimed to distribute millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic. However, the scheme was a fraud, and the organization was later blocked from terminating its contract. The U.S. Department of Justice accused Eidleh of recruiting operators into the scheme and collecting bribes and kickbacks, often disguised as consulting fees and funnelled through shell companies.
The arrest of Eidleh marks a significant step in the ongoing legal fight to recover the stolen funds and protect the American taxpayer, as Rosen emphasized in his statement. The chapter for Feeding Our Future might be closing, but the efforts to ensure justice for the victims and prevent future fraud continue.
Background
Feeding Our Future was a Minnesota nonprofit founded in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it claimed to distribute many thousands of meals to schoolchildren, but instead stole hundreds of millions of dollars while providing few or no meals at most of its locations.
What's confirmed
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- However, the Department of Justice said his arrest was the result of cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency.
- According to prosecutors, Eidleh recruited operators into the scheme and collected bribes and kickbacks, often disguised as consulting fees and funnelled through shell companies.
- “This is a big fish,” US Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen told CBS News, calling Eidleh a key figure who recruited businesses and paid bribes to loot public money.
- Somali authorities have not commented on the arrest, but a senior Somali official told Al Jazeera that the government was concerned about citizens of other countries and dual nationals returning to Somalia to evade…
- A federal judge blocked the termination in March, and the legal fight continues.
- Updated on: June 26, 2026 / 4:46 PM EDT / CBS News 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,…
- 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.
- Rosen previously told CBS News the total amount of fraud in Minnesota could top $1 billion.