A fugitive accused of helping orchestrate a $250 million Minnesota fraud scheme that exploited a federal child nutrition program was captured this week in Somalia after nearly four years on the run, federal authorities said.Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia, according to the Justice Department.Prosecutors allege Eidleh was 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.Eidleh was charged in connection with the scheme on Sept.13, 2022.A TIMELINE OF THE ‘LARGEST COVID-19 FRAUD SCHEME' IN THE UNITED STATESFederal authorities allege Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh helped orchestrate a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federal child nutrition program in Minnesota.
(Getty Images; FBI)He faces 31 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering."This defendant was a central figure in one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history," Assistant Attorney General Colin M.McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement."He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed," McDonald continued.
"Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice.That attempt ended thanks to the exceptional work of our FBI partners."NUTRITION PROGRAM’S LAWSUIT TRIGGERS MN EDUCATION DEPT TO EASE OVERSIGHT, OPENING DOOR TO MORE FRAUDAbdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, was arrested in Somalia after authorities said he spent nearly four years as a fugitive in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud case.
(FBI)According to court documents, Eidleh was responsible for recruiting and supporting Federal Ch...