US Indicts Somali Brothers on Charges of Fraud and Money Laundering

WASHINGTON - Two Kenyan brothers of the Somali tribe have been indicted for money laundering and fraud by the Department of Justice, following detailed investigations linking them to the crime, in what could lead to extradition to the United States.

Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh, 28, a resident of Kenya, was indicted with conspiracy to commit money laundering by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Sheikh is the 74th defendant charged in this scheme, the largest Covid fraud scheme in the country.

“I share the outrage of my fellow Minnesotans at seeing money meant to feed hungry children converted into fortunes half a world away,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“Sheikh’s indictment shows yet again what we are up against. It is another window into the many fraud schemes that have seeped into every corner of our state. But we cannot shrink from confronting this crisis. We must come together as Minnesotans and demand that the frauds stop now. We must protect the future of our children and our state.”

Sheikh helped his brother Abdiaziz Farah send millions of dollars from the Feeding Our Future fraud programme. Abdiaziz Farah was the leader of the “Empire” group and the lead defendant in the first Feeding Our Future trial.

Earlier this month, United States District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Abdiaziz Farah to 28 years in prison for his role in the fraud scheme. Abdiaziz Farah is pending sentencing in the juror bribery case before United States District Judge David S. Doty.

Farah, together with his accomplices, carried out a massive scheme to defraud the federal child nutrition program, a program designed to provide free meals to children in need. Abdiaziz Farah and his co-conspirators obtained, misappropriated, and laundered more than $40 million in federal child nutrition program funds that were intended to serve hungry children, the department said.

Sheikh helped Abdiaziz Farah use fraud proceeds to purchase a 20 per cent stake in a Kenyan real estate company. For example, in April 2021, Abdiaziz Farah purchased an apartment building in the South C neighbourhood of Nairobi, located adjacent to Nairobi National Park. Defendant Sheikh also helped Abdiaziz Farah use proceeds to purchase land in Mandera Town, a city located in Kenya, on the border with Somalia and Ethiopia, read the statement.

Throughout the time, the two brothers used to exchange text messages about the ill-got wealth. In one moment, Farah told Sheikh, "You are gonna be the richest 25-year-old, InshaAllah.” Sheikh responded, “I love you so much.” Abdiaziz Farah and Sheikh also exchanged messages and photos of the cash that was sent from Farah in the United States to Sheikh in Kenya.

For example, on August 29, 2021, Sheikh sent Abdiaziz Farah a photo of $138,000 in cash. On December 9, 2021, Sheikh sent Abdiaziz Farah a photo of banker’s boxes filled with $270,000 in cash that Farah sent to Sheikh.

On December 16, 2021, Sheikh sent Abdiaziz Farah photos of a receipt documenting a $300,000 money transfer from Abdiaziz Farah in Minneapolis to Sheikh in Kenya. Abdiaziz Farah reported the transfer purpose as “family support” and the source of the income as his “salary.”

As the indictment notes, Individual S.D. is Abdiaziz Farah’s sister-in-law; she is the sister of Abdiaziz Farah’s wife. Individual S.D. is a naturalised U.S. citizen who lives in Minnesota. She worked at one of the companies that sponsored Abdiaziz Farah’s fraudulent participation in the federal child nutrition program.

In October 2021, Abdiaziz Farah purchased a townhome in Burnsville, Minnesota, for $575,000 using the proceeds of his fraud scheme. Individual S.D. then moved into that townhome.

On June 9, 2023, Individual S.D. filed a petition for an alien relative seeking to sponsor Sheikh’s immigration to and permanent residency in the United States. On the petition, Individual S.D. identified Sheikh as her husband.

“The federal child nutrition program was designed to provide meals to children in need,” said FBI Minneapolis SAC Alvin M. Winston, Sr.

“According to the indictment, Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh saw this instead as an opportunity to steal from taxpayers and from hungry children. The indictment alleges that Sheikh and his co-conspirators laundered more than $40 million in federal funds.

"Sheikh allegedly used the proceeds of his fraud to invest in an upper-class Kenyan real estate company. The FBI will use every resource to stop this shameful theft, and to ensure that taxpayer resources are used appropriately for their intended purpose.”

These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

GAROWE ONLINE