ICE & FBI Raid Chicago Network — Somali-Origin Judge Arrested & $27.9B Money Laundering Scheme

At 4:22 a.m. in Minneapolis, 58 agents from FBI, ICE HSI, and IRS-CI launched OPERATION NORTH STAR VEIL, exposing a six-year laundering network that moved $31 billion through shell companies, escrow accounts, offshore trusts, and real estate loops. The investigation began with a traffic stop that uncovered $186,400 in cash and 3.2 kilograms of fentanyl, leading to a web of institutional corruption. At the center was Judge Ibrahim Mohamed Farah, accused of protecting traffickers and manipulating court outcomes.

Across 19 locations in seven counties, agents seized cash, drugs, firearms, gold bars, digital devices, and financial records. Prosecutors charged the network with money laundering, drug distribution, RICO, and honest services fraud. After a four-hour deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts, resulting in lengthy federal prison sentences and billions in forfeitures.