Saturday September 6, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (HOL) — Federal prosecutors have indicted a 28-year-old Kenyan man accused of helping his brother conceal millions of dollars stolen from a U.S. child nutrition program in what authorities call the nation’s largest COVID-19 fraud scheme.
Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh, a resident of Nairobi, was charged with conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Prosecutors allege Sheikh received wire transfers and bulk cash from his brother, Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, and invested the proceeds in Kenyan real estate through sham companies. One purchase included an apartment building in the South C neighbourhood of Nairobi, near Nairobi National Park. He also acquired land in Mandera, a town bordering Somalia and Ethiopia.
Farah, described as the leader of the so-called “Empire” group, was sentenced last month to 28 years in prison after being convicted of wire fraud, passport fraud, bribery, and money laundering. Jurors found he and his co-defendants stole tens of millions of dollars by claiming reimbursement for meals that were never served. In all, prosecutors say the broader conspiracy drained more than $250 million from federal programs intended to feed children during the pandemic.
According to the indictment, Farah and Sheikh exchanged photos of large stacks of cash and coordinated wire transfers disguised as “family support.” On Aug. 29, 2021, Sheikh sent Farah a photo of $138,000 in cash. Weeks later, he sent images of banker’s boxes filled with $270,000. By late December 2021, Sheikh reported receiving more than $1.2 million in transfers. In one exchange, Farah told him, “You are gonna be the richest 25 year old InshaAllah,” to which Sheikh replied, “I love you so much.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson condemned the theft. “I share the outrage of my fellow Minnesotans at seeing money meant to feed hungry children converted into fortunes half a world away,” he said. “Sheikh’s indictment shows yet again what we are up against. But we cannot shrink from confronting this crisis.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston called the conduct “a shameful theft,” saying Sheikh and his co-conspirators turned taxpayer funds for hungry children into real estate investments abroad.
Sheikh is the 74th person charged in the sprawling investigation, which has already led to the conviction of Feeding Our Future’s former CEO, Aimee Bock, and more than a dozen others. Prosecutors said funds laundered abroad, including the money sent to Sheikh, cannot be recovered.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are leading the probe. Authorities have not confirmed whether they will seek Sheikh’s extradition from Kenya.