After years on the run, accused recruiter in Feeding Our Future fraud scheme arrested in Somalia

A key figure in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation who fled the country shortly after his indictment nearly four years ago was arrested overseas this week, federal prosecutors said.

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody on Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia, on numerous federal fraud and money laundering charges tied to the sprawling $300 million pandemic-era fraud case that's come to be known as the Feeding Our Future prosecution, named after the nonprofit at the heart of the scheme.

Eidleh, a former employee at Feeding Our Future, was at the center of the plot which largely involved a "pay-to-play" scheme where business owners operating fake meal sites paid bribes and kickbacks to Feeding Our Future in exchange for joining the criminal enterprise.

According to the charges, Eidleh received many of the bribes and was responsible for recruiting companies to enroll scam food sites through the federal child nutrition program. Eidleh is accused of depositing more than $5 million in kickbacks, bribes and other illicit proceeds into bank accounts opened through shell companies. He did not have an attorney listed Friday afternoon.

"Eidleh's capture shows that, if you commit fraud against the American taxpayer, and try hiding across the globe, the long arm of justice will find you," said United States Attorney Daniel Rosen. "We salute the FBI's work in finding Eidleh, and are grateful to all our federal and international partners that help us hold accountable those who defraud our government."

Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the extensive fraud plot, was sentenced last month to slightly more than 41 years in prison after a jury convicted her of using Feeding Our Future, her nonprofit, to steal millions. Bock filed a notice last week that she plans to appeal her conviction and sentence.

Bock has maintained she was not the main architect of the fraud plot that's since grown to 79 defendants since federal prosecutors announced the first wave of indictments in September 2022. Kenneth Udoibok, her attorney, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Eidleh was the one responsible for recruiting people and businesses to enroll their sham meal sites, largely because he spoke Somali.

"The government knew that. It was told by a witness that it was Eidleh who was recruiting. The prosecutors knew that. The agents knew that. But that is not what they told the court. That is not what they told the jury," Udoibok said.

At Bock's trial, witnesses described Eidleh as their main contact at Feeding Our Future who showed them how to inflate meal counts and submit false invoices for food that was never purchased. Lul Bashir Ali, a restaurant owner who took the stand, said she paid $30,000 in monthly kickbacks Eidleh who would then verify each of the payments in a video call with Bock.

Hanna Marekegn, who pleaded guilty to paying $150,000 in bribes to Eidleh for her participation in the scheme through her Minneapolis restaurant, said Eidleh demanded a 5% cut of her checks as payment for his help in the scheme. She said Eidleh threatened to cancel her contract if she didn't pay the kickbacks.

Eidleh's arrest comes after another Feeding Our Future suspect accused of fleeing overseas was taken into custody earlier this month after surrendering himself to authorities. Said Ereg, 47, was named one of the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters by officials, who alleged he obtained millions of dollars through the federal child nutrition program by falsely claiming to serve thousands of children at a meal site per day. The U.S. Attorney's Office said law enforcement facilitated Ereg's travels from Kenya via London to Minneapolis.

(Jeff Meitrodt of The Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 7:46 PM.