Former Loretto Hospital Executive Charged in $15 Million Embezzlement Scheme
CHICAGO — Federal authorities have charged Anosh Ahmed, a former executive of Loretto Hospital, in connection with a scheme to embezzle $15 million from the health care facility.
Detailed Charges and Allegations
In an indictment filed last week, Ahmed faces eight counts of wire fraud, four counts of embezzlement, eleven counts of aiding and abetting embezzlement, and three counts of money laundering. Ahmed was the chief financial officer and CEO of the hospital until his resignation in 2021 amid controversy over the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, a separate issue not included in the federal indictment.
Criminal charges have also been filed against Sameer Suhail of Chicago, owner of a medical supply company, and Heather Bergdahl, the hospital's former chief transformation officer, both of whom allegedly participated in the fraudulent scheme. Bergdahl and Ahmed are both from Houston.
Embezzlement Scheme Details
The indictments allege that from 2018 to 2022, Ahmed, Bergdahl, and Suhail engaged in a scheme to siphon funds from the hospital. They purportedly made requests for hospital payments to vendors for goods and services that were never provided, directing the money through a computerized system to accounts they controlled.
Suhail faces six counts of wire fraud, six counts of aiding and abetting embezzlement, and two counts of money laundering. Bergdahl, initially charged with embezzlement in May, now faces 14 counts of wire fraud, 21 counts of embezzlement, and one count of money laundering.
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Response and Investigation
A voicemail seeking comment was left for Bergdahl's lead attorney. Court documents do not list attorneys for Ahmed or Suhail.
Ahmed made headlines in 2021 when Block Club Chicago reported that Loretto Hospital was administering COVID-19 vaccines at affluent locations frequented by Ahmed, rather than in the economically distressed Austin neighborhood served by the hospital. At that time, vaccines were scarce and prioritized for those most in need.
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