Kenyan Charged in the US Over Sh5.1B International Money Laundering Scheme

A Kenyan man has been indicted for his role in laundering millions of dollars linked to the Feeding Our Future fraud, the largest COVID-19 fraud case in the United States.

The 28-year-old Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh was charged with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, according to Acting US Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. He is the 74th defendant in the case.

Prosecutors say he helped his brother Abdiaziz Farah move more than $40 million (about Sh5.1 billion) stolen from the federal child nutrition program.

The program was meant to provide free meals to children in need. In short, Farah and his co-conspirators falsely claimed they were providing millions of meals to kids.

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

“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.”

This comes even as the brother was sentenced last month to 28 years in prison for fraud. He also faces sentencing in a separate juror bribery case.

According to the indictment, the Kenyan received millions from the brother between 2020 and 2022.

He allegedly invested the money in Kenyan real estate through sham companies and bulk cash smuggling.

Court documents detail lavish purchases, including a stake in a Kenyan real estate company, an apartment near Nairobi National Park, and land in Mandera near the Somali and Ethiopian borders.

Text messages between the brothers reveal exchanges of affection alongside images of large sums of cash.

In August 2021, one sent the other a photo of $138,000 in cash. In December, he sent photos of banker’s boxes with $270,000 and a $300,000 transfer receipt marked as “family support.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the two brothers routinely discussed the money via text messages. Some of those alleged messages included photos of large amounts of cash. (Department of Justice)

“You are gonna be the richest 25 year old InshaAllah,” says one of the messages that was sent from Farah to his younger brother in July of 2021.

According to officials, Sheikh entered his name in a U.S. immigration lottery in November of 2024. That lottery program, administered by the U.S. State Department, gives out visas, and eventually green cards, to over 50,000 lottery winners.

Sheikh’s apparent attempt to gain entry to the United States came several months after his brother had already been arrested, charged, and convicted of more than 20 federal crimes.

The indictment also notes that the 28-year-old married his brother’s sister-in-law, in Nairobi in December 2021, and she later on sought to sponsor his US residency.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), they will do anything within their power to ensure taxpayer resources are used appropriately.

“The federal child nutrition program was designed to provide meals to children in need. According to the indictment, the suspect saw this instead as an opportunity to steal from taxpayers and from hungry children. The FBI will use every resource to stop this shameful theft and to ensure that taxpayer resources are used appropriately,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigations, and the US Postal Inspection Service.