A Somali migrant, Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, is now facing federal charges related to several rapes, following previous state court convictions that resulted only in probation. The Department of Justice announced the charges on Thursday, highlighting incidents spanning from 2017 to 2025, including allegations of kidnapping a minor.
Mohamed, who entered the United States during the Obama administration, has been convicted twice for rape in state courts. In both cases, he received probation instead of prison sentences, as reported by local media outlet Fox 9. The federal charges against him include kidnapping and multiple rape offenses, indicating a significant escalation in the legal response to his actions.
During a recent appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, described the severity of Mohamed’s past crimes. “He committed the rape of a child, a horrific rape, in 2017. Then he committed another rape in 2024. He’s convicted in state court of both rapes. They let him walk out the door on probation,” Bondi stated, expressing concern over the leniency shown by state courts towards serious criminal offenses.
Bondi further asserted that the investigations are ongoing, stating, “We are going back in time now, charging him again with kidnapping and the rape of the 2017 case. And I can tell you there are more charges to come.” Law enforcement has utilized DNA evidence to connect Mohamed to various unsolved rapes, suggesting that the federal government may pursue additional charges as investigations continue.
In response to these developments, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased operations in the Minneapolis area, focusing on illegal immigrants from Somalia. This comes in the wake of revelations concerning fraud activities amounting to at least $1 billion, some of which allegedly funded the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz acknowledged the challenges posed by crime in the state but emphasized the need to avoid stigmatizing Somali residents. During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he stated that while the state “attracts criminals,” it is essential to maintain respect for the broader community.
Bondi indicated that Mohamed’s case may not be isolated, hinting at a pattern of insufficient prosecution for serious crimes in state courts across the country. “We’re finding out that all these criminals around the country were not properly prosecuted by liberal state courts,” she said, emphasizing the importance of federal charges in addressing such issues.
The legal proceedings against Mohamed continue to unfold, with heightened scrutiny on the judicial decisions that allowed him to evade harsher penalties for his crimes. As federal authorities investigate further, the implications of this case may resonate beyond Minnesota, prompting discussions about the effectiveness of state versus federal prosecution in handling serious criminal offenses.
