Feeding Our Future Fugitive Captured in Somalia

(KNSI) — One of the key figures in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been taken into custody after fleeing to Africa.

Forty-two-year-old Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh was arrested June 25th in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was originally charged by federal indictment in September of 2022 with 31 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bribery of federal programs, and money laundering.

According to court documents, Eidleh lived in Burnsville and was a Feeding Our Future employee responsible for recruiting and supporting Federal Child Nutrition Program sites. Prosecutors say he and other employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals seeking approval to operate fraudulent meal sites, with kickbacks often disguised as consulting fees paid through shell companies.

Eidleh is also accused of creating his own fraudulent meal sites under nominee owners, falsely claiming they were serving thousands of children per day. He allegedly created shell companies posing as meal vendors and submitted fraudulent invoices to obtain federal nutrition program funds. More than $5 million in kickbacks and fraud proceeds were deposited into accounts tied to his shell companies.

Eidleh is expected to be returned to the U.S. to face charges in federal court.

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