Man Charged in Minnesota Pandemic Fraud Case Extradited from Somalia

Abdikerm Eidleh, 42, was taken into custody in Mogadishu last month and transferred to the United States to face federal charges related to a multi-state fraud case involving a pandemic nutrition program. He is accused of wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud federal programs and money laundering. Eidleh, who has no attorney listed in court records, is scheduled to appear in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Prosecutors say Eidleh was a close associate of Aimee Bock, the former leader of the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which they allege submitted false claims for meals that were never provided. The Justice Department described the investigation as the largest COVID-era fraud case of its kind. Bock received a sentence of more than 41 years in May, and 68 of the 79 people charged in the broader case have been convicted.

Somalia and the United States do not have an extradition treaty, making the transfer of Eidleh uncertain. After Somali authorities detained him, they moved him to a neighboring country where FBI agents took custody and escorted him back to Minnesota, according to former federal prosecutor Joseph H. Thompson, who oversaw the investigation. Somali officials declined to comment on the case.

"The case underscores the seriousness of fraud against federal nutrition programs," said a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota.

Eidleh also holds Ethiopian citizenship and belongs to a prominent Somali clan that advocated for his release. The case has drawn attention to the ethnic background of many defendants, a point highlighted by some political figures.