He Stole From Hungry Kids… Then Vanished

Hand holding pen, filling out lawsuit form.

A key figure in Minnesota’s massive pandemic food fraud case has finally been taken down — in Somalia — after years of exploiting taxpayers and dodging justice.^[8]

Story Snapshot

A Minnesota man tied to the Feeding Our Future scandal surrendered in Somalia after landing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fraudsters list.^[1]^[6]
Prosecutors say he helped steal more than $4 million from a child nutrition program meant to feed low‑income kids during COVID.^[4]
The broader Feeding Our Future scheme looted about $250 million in federal aid and turned it into luxury cars, real estate, and travel.^[3]^[5]
The case shows how fast‑growing welfare programs, weak oversight, and political games opened the door to massive pandemic fraud.^[3]^[12]^[13]

From Minneapolis Food Site To Somali Fugitive

Federal investigators say Said Abdullahi Ereg ran Evergreen Grocery and Deli under the Feeding Our Future nonprofit and used it to file fake claims for thousands of meals that were never served.^[2] Prosecutors allege his business reported serving more than 3,000 meals twice a day, every day, during the pandemic, and then collected federal child nutrition money based on those claims.^[2]^[4] On June 24, 2024, a grand jury indicted him for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering tied to this scheme, making him one of many players in the wider Feeding Our Future scandal.^[1]^[5]

The FBI says the Feeding Our Future operation became the largest COVID‑19 aid fraud scheme in the nation, plundering taxpayer funds meant for hungry children.^[3]^[5] The nonprofit went from moving about $3.4 million in federal child nutrition funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021 after explosive growth pushed by program sponsors and lax state oversight.^[3] According to court findings, more than $240 million was fraudulently obtained and disbursed, with money used for luxury vehicles, homes, commercial properties, and international travel instead of food for kids.^[3]^[5]

Big Numbers, Bigger Red Flags

Prosecutors accuse Ereg of pulling in more than $4.2 million through the child nutrition program by filing false meal claims during the pandemic emergency.^[4] They say he and his partners pushed the cash through accounts in Kenya, Somalia, and the United Kingdom to hide where it came from and to fund a lavish lifestyle overseas.^[2]^[5] Federal agents explain that this pattern matches a wider wave of COVID‑era fraud, where criminals used rapid program expansion, weak identity checks, and shell companies to skim billions from rushed relief money.^[12]^[17]

Across the broader Feeding Our Future case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that 79 suspects have been indicted, and by mid‑2026, 66 have already been found guilty, most through plea deals.^[5] The ringleader, nonprofit founder Aimee Bock, was convicted on all counts and later sentenced to 500 months in prison, or just over 41 years, plus more than $240 million in restitution.^[3]^[5] Federal documents show that she and co‑conspirator Salim Said built dozens of shell food sites, claimed to serve 91 million meals, and then pushed hundreds of millions of dollars into luxury cars, Minnesota real estate, and world travel.^[3]^[14]

International Chase And Community Tensions

Ereg did not face justice right away. After charges were filed, he left the country, and the FBI added him to its “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list, calling attention to his role in the child nutrition scam.^[6] According to agents, he contacted investigators through his attorney and surrendered only days after being listed, which means he was not grabbed in a dramatic raid but chose to give up rather than stay on the run.^[3]^[6] Special Agent Chris Dotson says cooperation from authorities in Kenya, Somalia, and the United Kingdom was vital to securing his return to face charges.^[5]

Abdikerm Eidleh, aged 43, was apprehended earlier this week in #Mogadishu, #Somalia, as a result of a coordinated operation carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in collaboration with #Somali intelligence services.

Mr. Eidleh had successfully evaded capture for more… pic.twitter.com/Lpstb9OgIN

— Southwest Watch (@SouthwestWatch) June 27, 2026

Even with this progress, the case has sparked anger and debate in Minnesota’s Somali community and beyond.^[7]^[8] Some activists and political figures claim the focus on Somali‑run sites shows bias, and they argue that enforcement was slow and uneven because leaders feared backlash.^[7] At the same time, conservatives point to Governor Tim Walz’s conflicting statements about court orders and payment restarts as proof that state leaders failed to act quickly and clearly, letting the fraud run wild while taxpayers and children paid the price.^[5]^[13]

Pandemic Fraud And The Cost Of Weak Oversight

The Feeding Our Future scandal is not an isolated event. Analysts at LexisNexis Risk Solutions estimate that improper payments tied to roughly $5 trillion in national COVID aid could reach as high as $1 trillion, because rushed programs and weak checks made fraud easy.^[12] A review by CBS News found at least 20 pandemic aid fraud cases over $1 million, with Minnesota’s child nutrition case standing out as the largest but far from the only major scheme.^[13] Federal researchers say identity theft, fake businesses, and forged service claims were common tools for stealing relief funds from hard‑working Americans.^[12]^[17]

For conservatives, this case is a warning about what happens when government grows fast, spends huge amounts, and trusts vague nonprofits and shell companies instead of demanding proof and accountability.^[3]^[15] The Trump administration now faces the cleanup task: recover as much money as possible, push for stronger fraud detection in programs like the Department of Agriculture’s food aid, and hold both local officials and federal agencies to higher standards.^[3]^[18] Many stolen dollars may never come back, but tough enforcement, forfeitures, and long prison sentences send a clear message that exploiting crises and stealing from children will not be tolerated.^[3]^[4]^[10]