Federal Charges Filed Against Abdimahat Bille Mohamed for Serial Kidnapping and Rape

On December 4, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced federal charges by criminal complaint against Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, a Somali national and legal permanent resident, for allegedly committing a string of violent kidnappings and sexual assaults in the state of Minnesota between 2017 and 2025.

Details of the Federal Charges

Mohamed was charged with Kidnapping a Minor and Kidnapping. The federal criminal complaint alleges he was involved in a string of disturbing sexual assaults—several of which were gang rapes—of at least five victims during this period. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment and up to a sentence of life if convicted on these federal charges.

The two specific charges mentioned in the federal complaint relate to the kidnapping of:

• A 15-year-old girl in 2017: The complaint alleges Mohamed met the girl on Snapchat. He offered her a ride, but instead drove her to a different location in Minneapolis where two other men entered the car. One of the men allegedly pointed a gun at the girl's head and threatened to kill her, after which she was sexually assaulted by Mohamed and another man.
• An adult woman in September 2025: The complaint alleges Mohamed picked up a woman in Mankato, drove her 70 miles to a hotel in Bloomington, and held her captive for nearly a week, repeatedly sexually assaulting her. The victim eventually escaped by jumping out of his car and telling a nearby man she was being kidnapped.

Prior State Case and Controversy

The federal charges follow a plea deal in state court with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in May 2025, which allowed Mohamed to avoid prison time in connection with the 2017 case and an alleged rape of an adult woman in May 2024.

• May 2025 Sentencing: Mohamed pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges in two separate cases (the 2017 assault of the minor and the May 2024 assault of an adult woman). He was sentenced to five years of probation for the 2017 incident and a stayed sentence for the 2024 incident, resulting in his release.
• Political Response: The U.S. Department of Justice's press release announcing the federal charges included strong statements from Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who blamed Minnesota's "soft-on-crime policies" for allowing Mohamed to be released and allegedly commit another rape in September 2025 while on probation.
• Hennepin County Response: Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty responded, calling the federal action a "clear attempt to politicize a sexual assault prosecution" and stated that the state's case had been "substantially weakened" due to the loss of critical witnesses, making it impossible to secure the prison sentence they had wanted.

The case involves a multi-agency investigation including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and local police departments.

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