Kenyan man charged in US for laundering Sh5.1 billion in COVID-19 relief fraud
Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh, 28, reportedly helped his brother move millions of dollars obtained through the scheme from the US to Kenya, concealing the funds via real estate investments and sham companies.
A Kenyan man has been charged in the United States for allegedly laundering Sh5.1 billion linked to the Feeding Our Future COVID-19 relief fraud, considered the largest pandemic-related scam in America.
Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh, 28, reportedly helped his brother move millions of dollars obtained through the scheme from the US to Kenya, concealing the funds via real estate investments and sham companies.
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Ahmednaji was indicted on September 4, 2025, for Conspiracy to Commit International Money Laundering, marking him as the 74th defendant charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud.
“I share the outrage of my fellow Minnesotans at seeing money meant to feed hungry children converted into fortunes half a world away,” Acting US Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said.
“Ahmednaji's 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. But 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.”
Ahmednaji is accused of helping his brother, Abdiaziz Farah, launder and conceal millions in fraud proceeds. Abdiaziz led the “Empire” group and was the first defendant tried in the Feeding Our Future case. He was sentenced earlier this month to 28 years in prison and is awaiting sentencing in a separate juror bribery case.
According to the indictment, from 2020 to 2022, Ahmednaji and associates defrauded the federal child nutrition programme, intended to provide free meals to children, of more than $40 million (Sh5.18 billion). Ahmednaji allegedly assisted Ahmednaji in moving the stolen funds abroad, making them difficult for federal authorities to trace.
Ahmednaji reportedly invested the illicit funds in Kenyan real estate through sham corporations and bulk cash transfers. Among the properties purchased were a 20 per cent stake in a Kenyan real estate company, an apartment building in Nairobi’s South C neighbourhood and land in Mandera Town, near the borders of Somalia and Ethiopia.
The indictment includes text messages exchanged between Ahmednaji and Abdiaziz that detail their dealings.
On July 3, 2021, Abdiaziz texted Ahmednaji: “You are gonna be the richest 25-year-old, Inshallah.”
Ahmednaji replied, “I love you so much.”
Photos of cash transfers were also shared, including $138,000 (Sh17.87 million) on August 29, 2021, and $270,000 (Sh35 million) in banker’s boxes on December 9, 2021. On December 16, Ahmednaji sent a photo of a $300,000 (Sh38.85 million) transfer, and on December 27, he confirmed receiving $1,287,000 (Sh166.67 million) from Abdiaziz.
The indictment also names Abdiaziz’s sister-in-law, identified as Individual S.D., a naturalised US citizen living in Minnesota, who worked at one of the companies sponsoring Abdiaziz’s fraudulent activities.
Abdiaziz bought a townhome in Burnsville, Minnesota, for $575,000 (Sh74.46 million) using fraud proceeds, which S.D. later occupied.
Ahmednaji married Individual S.D. in Nairobi on December 30, 2021. She later petitioned for Ahmednaji’s US immigration and permanent residency, while Ahmednaji also applied for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery, falsely claiming he was unmarried.
“The federal child nutrition programme was designed to provide meals to children in need. According to the indictment, Ahmednaji Maalim Aftin Sheikh saw this instead as an opportunity to steal from taxpayers and from hungry children. The indictment alleges Sheikh and his co-conspirators laundered more than $40 million (Sh5.18 billion) in federal funds. Sheikh allegedly used the proceeds of his fraud to invest in an upper-class Kenyan real estate company,” FBI Minneapolis SAC Alvin M. Winston, Sr said.
“The FBI will use every resource to stop this shameful theft, and to ensure that taxpayer resources are used appropriately for their intended purpose.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the US Postal Inspection Service. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Daniel W. Bobier, are prosecuting the case, while Assistant US Attorney Craig Baune is handling asset seizures and forfeiture.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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