Feeding Our Future fraud suspect back in Minnesota after fleeing to Somalia
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A person federal authorities believe to be second-in-command in the Feeding Our Future fraud case appeared in federal court Friday in downtown St. Paul.
Abdikerm Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville answered procedural questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty in the hearing, but he did not enter a plea. The judge set his arraignment and a detention hearing for July 31.
Federal prosecutors requested he continue to be detained. The judge agreed, saying Eidleh’s travel to Africa made him a flight risk.
Eidleh left for Somalia about two months before the initial search warrants were served in the Feeding Our Future fraud case. He was first charged in September 2022, along with the scheme’s ringleader Aimee Bock, for his alleged role in the case.
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Federal officials say the case involves the theft of $250 million from a program that was supposed to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eidleh is accused of controlling shell companies for Feeding Our Future and creating fraudulent food sites that claimed to provide meals to thousands of children per day.
He is facing 31 federal charges including conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges.
Law enforcement authorities found Eidleh in Somalia last month. He was flown to Minnesota on Thursday and is in custody at Sherburne County Jail.
