The former CFO of Loretto Hospital in Chicago is among three individuals charged in an indictment alleging involvement in a $15 million embezzlement scheme.
Anosh Ahmed, MD, 40, of Houston, who served as the hospital's CFO and COO before resigning in 2021, is charged in the indictment returned July 11 with eight counts of wire fraud, four counts of embezzlement, 11 counts of aiding and abetting embezzlement, and three counts of money laundering, according to the Justice Department.
Heather Bergdahl, MD, 37, of Houston, who served at Loretto with Dr. Ahmed, as the hospital's chief transformation officer, is charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, 21 counts of embezzlement and one count of money laundering. These charges add to previous charges filed against Dr. Bergdahl in May alleging embezzlement from a federally funded program.
Sameer Suhail, MD, 47, of Chicago, the owner of a medical supply company accused of involvement in the alleged embezzlement scheme, is charged with 14 counts, including wire fraud, aiding and abetting embezzlement, and money laundering.
As of July 12, arraignments in federal court in Chicago had not been scheduled, according to the Justice Department.
Two sources familiar with the case told the Chicago Tribune that Dr. Ahmed fled to Dubai earlier in 2024. Attorneys for Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Suhail were not listed in court records as of July 12, and attorneys for Dr. Bergdahl could not immediately be reached for comment by the Tribune as of July 12.
Loretto shared the following statement with Becker's: "Unfortunately, the hospital was targeted, preyed upon, and fell victim to a crime. Our dedication to the Austin Community, its residents and our employees is unwavering. We are committed to restoring the community’s confidence and trust in Loretto Hospital. For legal reasons, we are currently unable to discuss details but continue to offer our full cooperation and support to the authorities."
The charges stem from an FBI investigation launched in 2021 regarding COVID-19 vaccines administered by Loretto at a church connected to Loretto's then-president and CEO, George Miller Jr.
In March 2021, Mr. Miller, who, according to the Tribune has not been criminally charged, was suspended for two weeks without pay amid reports of improper COVID-19 vaccinations from the safety-net hospital. Mr. Miller, who departed the hospital in April 2022 amid a federal investigation, acknowledged that he authorized the hospital on March 10, 2021, to vaccinate restaurant, housekeeping and other hotel personnel at Trump Tower, where Dr. Ahmed owned a condo. Block Club Chicago and WBEZ also previously reported that judges in Cook County were offered doses by the hospital before they were eligible.
The indictment released July 12, which was accessed by Becker's, alleges that from 2018 to 2022, Dr. Ahmed schemed with the other two defendants to cause the hospital to issue payments to vendor companies for purported goods and services that the hospital had not received. Prosecutors allege that Drs. Suhail and Ahmed created many of the purported vendor companies under various names to hide their association with the fraudulent payments, and that Dr. Bergdahl opened bank accounts in the names of two legitimate hospital vendors and caused Loretto to deposit fraudulent payments into those accounts.
The indictment also alleges that to conceal the scheme, the defendants created fictitious documents, including fictitious invoices, payment requests, delivery receipts and other false documents, which contained false information about goods and services purportedly provided to Loretto.
Overall, the defendants caused Loretto to pay more than $15 million into bank accounts that they controlled, prosecutors allege.
Read more about the case here.