- Kenyan national Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh is charged in the U.S. over laundering scam proceeds.
- Accused of moving over $40 million (Ksh 5.18B) from the “Feeding Our Future” fraud.
- Money was allegedly invested in South C apartments, Mandera land, and a local property firm.
- His brother, Abdiaziz Farah, was already sentenced to 28 years in prison.
- U.S. officials describe it as the largest pandemic relief fraud in history.
A Kenyan national has been indicted in the United States for his role in the multi-billion-dollar Feeding Our Future scandal, the biggest pandemic-era relief fraud in American history.
The suspect, Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh, is accused of helping launder over $40 million through elaborate cross-border schemes.
Investigators claim Sheikh funnelled the stolen funds into Kenya by buying apartments in Nairobi’s South C estate, land in Mandera, and even purchasing shares in a local property company.
Court filings also reveal evidence of bulk cash smuggling and encrypted chats showing transfers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars at once.
Sheikh’s brother, Abdiaziz Farah, was earlier sentenced to 28 years in prison for his central role in the scam. U.S. authorities said Sheikh’s arrest now makes him the 74th person indicted in the fraud network.
The fraud scheme targeted a U.S. child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors say fake invoices and non-existent food distribution centres were used to divert funds meant to feed vulnerable children.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Sheikh will face charges of conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Officials stressed the case highlights the global scale of criminal networks and America’s resolve to pursue stolen funds wherever they are hidden.
