FBI makes first arrest from DOJ Most Wanted Fraudsters list in Minneapolis
FBI releases list of ‘most wanted fraudsters’ as crackdown continues
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche details the discovery of a complex 2,000-foot drug smuggling tunnel from Mexico to San Diego that resulted in the seizure of $45 million in cocaine. Blanche also highlights crime reduction initiatives across the country, discussing the arrests of three men in Kansas and California in connection with an ISIS plot to attack U.S. service members, the FBI’s efforts against fraudsters, and her nomination as permanent attorney general by President Donald Trump.
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Said Abdullahi Ereg, a former Minneapolis grocery store and deli owner, has surrendered to federal authorities, becoming the first person detained on the FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list as federal authorities continue a nationwide fraud crackdown, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday.
Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
The FBI said Ereg, a former grocery store and deli owner in south Minneapolis, surrendered to federal authorities less than a week after the Justice Department unveiled its “Most Wanted” list, which aims to publicly identify people accused in major fraud cases.
“Today’s arrest is historic; it is the first arrest of an individual on our Most Wanted Scam List, which was announced last week by the White House Fraud Elimination Task Force.” Patel said in a statement.
TIMELINE OF THE ‘LARGEEST COVID-19 FRAUD SCHEME’ IN THE USA
Said Abdullahi Ereg is accused of participating in an alleged scheme to defraud the federal child nutrition program of more than $4 million. (FBI)
Ereg has been wanted on federal charges since 2024 and fraudulently obtained more than $4.2 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said.
According to federal authorities, Ereg operated Evergreen Grocery and Deli, a grocery store and deli in Minneapolis sponsored by the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed he distributed meals to needy children, fraudulently received government refunds and laundered the proceeds through foreign accounts while using some of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle.
SEE: FEEDING FUTURE FRAUDS WITH $250 MILLION IN STOLEN FOOD FUNDS
The FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list aims to help law enforcement track down and capture fugitives accused of large-scale fraud schemes. (FBI)
Court documents allege Evergreen Grocery and Deli serves more than 3,000 meals twice a day, seven days a week.
“Under the leadership of Vice President Vance and the White House Fraud Elimination Task Force, we created the historic, first-ever ‘Most Wanted Scammers’ list for this very purpose – to bring to justice the alleged worst of the worst who took advantage of American taxpayers and stole public funds,” Patel said. he said.
He added that the list serves as a warning that “the days of Washington D.C. turning a blind eye to fraud are over.”
J.D. VANCE’S TASK FORCE STATES AROUND $6.3 BILLION IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS GOING TO POTENTIALLY FRAUDTING BUSINESSES
FBI Director Kash Patel held a press conference at the Department of Justice on December 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
In a post on X, Patel suggested the arrest was just the beginning of a broader enforcement effort.
“This historic result is just the beginning and a message to all the scammers taking advantage of America, this team will find you,” Patel said.
Federal authorities said Ereg contacted authorities through his lawyer and expressed a desire to return to the United States, a day after the FBI launched its “Most Wanted” list.
The Justice Department also noted that Ereg’s wife, Najmo Ahmed, who worked at the business and received payroll payments directly from Feeding Our Future, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges last year and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at a news conference about the Trump administration’s fight against fraud as he is surrounded by federal and state authorities on Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Ohio. (WBNS via NNS)
The arrest comes months after the Department of Justice announced the creation of a National Anti-Fraud Division to support President Donald Trump’s Fraud Elimination Task Force, led by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
