Feeding Our Future fugitive pleads not guilty
Said Abdullahi Ereg, a former international fugitive, made his first appearance in federal court today to face eight (8) felony counts of fraud in relation to the Feeding Our Future scandal. He pled not guilty. Your correspondent was there,
Together with his wife, Najmo Ahmed, Ereg, now age 45, is accused of stealing more than $4 million from the federal child nutrition program in 2020 and 2021 through their Evergreen Grocery, located in south Minneapolis.
He arrived in court this afternoon in the standard orange two-piece jail outfit, accompanied by deputy U.S. Marshals. He was arrested at the airport yesterday having arrived from Kenya via London, England.
It turns out that he had flown from Kenya to Heathrow using his U.K. passport, which he then left in England with his family for safe-keeping. Ereg then used his U.S. passport for the flight from London to the United States.
He was assisted in court today by his private lawyer and a taxpayer-paid Somali-language interpreter. Either Ereg speaks no English or the Somali native’s years on the lam in east Africa has left his skills rusty.
I would point out that English is the official language of all three of his adopted nations, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In an exercise of hope triumphing over experience, the former international fugitive was released from custody this afternoon, as he awaits trial.
The judge ordered that his UK passport be shipped to America and handed over.
For her part, Ahmed has pled guilty to her role in the fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, June 15. Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of more than two years in prison. The defense is requesting a sentence of just six months.
No date has been set for Ereg’s next court appearance.