Federal authorities arrested a Minneapolis grocer who recently landed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list for allegations that he bilked a federally funded meals program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota on Wednesday announced the surrender of Said Ereg, 47, on charges alleging his participation in the sprawling fraud scheme known as the Feeding Our Future case. Last week, the FBI named Ereg as one of eight most wanted fraudsters and offered up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction as part of the Trump administration’s new campaign to crack down on fraud across the United States. Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor, Daniel Rosen, said that a day after the list went public Ereg’s attorney said he would return to the United States from Kenya.
“Ereg betrayed the public’s trust and used American taxpayers’ money to enrich himself,” Rosen said.
At a news conference, Rosen announced that Ereg was arrested by federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday afternoon at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Federal authorities facilitated his travel from Kenya via London to Minneapolis.
From 2020 to 2021, Ereg is accused of receiving more than $4.2 million in ill-gotten gains by claiming to serve food to thousands of children at his business, Evergreen Grocery and Deli in Minneapolis, according to his indictment. At times, the grocer claimed to have served more than 3,000 meals twice a day, seven days a week.
“However, Evergreen Grocery and Deli only served a fraction of those meals,” the indictment reads.
Ereg and his wife, Najmo Ahmed, who worked for the grocer, instead steered much of the funds toward “his family’s lavish lifestyle,” according to the FBI’s news release seeking his capture. That included purchases at Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Canada Goose. More than $2.5 million was transferred to foreign textile and trading companies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Ereg with wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2024; Ereg had been a fugitive since. Asked if Ereg could face additional charges for fleeing, Rosen said “those issues will be handled in due time.”
