Said Abdullahi Ereg, first on FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list, taken into custody

The FBI's Minneapolis Field Office announced that Said Abdullahi Ereg, who was added to the agency's newly launched Most Wanted Fraudsters list six days earlier, has surrendered and been taken into custody, Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson said at a press briefing.

Dotson said Mr. Ereg is "the first fraudster on that list to be taken into custody." He framed the arrest as part of a continuing effort to combat fraud against federal benefit programs, stating: "The allegations against these Most Wanted Fraudsters outline a gross disregard for the hard-working American taxpayer in hijacking millions from federal benefit programs intended to provide essential services to those who need it is an outrage." Dotson said the FBI and partner agencies "will continue to leverage all resources to track down, arrest, and prosecute fraud actors at every level and anywhere."

Dotson credited coordination with the U.S. Attorney Rosen's team, the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division and the Department of Homeland Security. He also thanked Kenyan, Somali and British authorities and FBI legal attachés, saying their work "facilitated Ereg's swift surrender into Minneapolis." The statement emphasized international law-enforcement cooperation but did not provide charge details in the remarks.

Dotson described the agency's Most Wanted program as "one of the most effective public-facing investigative tools" and said the Minneapolis office will nominate more fugitives to that list. He asked members of the public to submit tips at tips.fbi.gov or complaints of internet-based crimes through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

Dotson concluded by turning the briefing over to HSI (Homeland Security Investigations). The FBI said it will continue related investigations in partnership with federal and international partners.