Federal prosecutors say former Loretto Hospital executive Anosh Ahmed has been taken into custody in Serbia after allegedly fleeing the United States amid federal fraud charges.
In a court filing submitted Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois confirmed that Ahmed was arrested on Nov. 30, 2025, following the issuance of an international “Red Notice” seeking his apprehension. Prosecutors said the United States has formally notified Serbian authorities of its intent to seek Ahmed’s extradition.
“As of now, the United States understands that Ahmed remains in custody in Serbia, pending extradition,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sheri Mecklenburg and Kelly Guzman wrote. They noted it remains unclear whether extradition will occur or when it might take place.
Court records show a Serbian court denied Ahmed’s request on Dec. 30 to be released to a hotel in Belgrade, ordering that he remain in custody.
Ahmed was one of three defendants charged in 2024 in an alleged scheme to embezzle more than $15 million from Loretto Hospital over a four-year period. Prosecutors allege Ahmed, along with Heather Bergdahl and Sameer Suhail, created fraudulent invoices and payment requests between 2018 and 2022 for goods and services that were never provided to the hospital.
In 2025, Ahmed faced additional charges accusing him and others of submitting fraudulent reimbursement claims for COVID-19 testing supplies totaling nearly $900 million. Federal authorities allege approximately $293 million was paid out between June 2021 and March 2022.
That case is currently scheduled for trial in July, though defense attorneys have asked to delay proceedings until September. Other defendants include Mohamed Sirajudeen, Mahmood Sami Khan and Suhaib Ahmad Chaudhry. Prosecutors indicated they expect Sirajudeen to plead guilty before trial.
If Ahmed is not extradited, prosecutors said they would limit trial evidence to matters relevant only to defendants present in court.
Ahmed left Loretto Hospital in March 2021 following multiple pandemic-era controversies. Prosecutors allege that shortly afterward, he obtained a spreadsheet containing personal data of approximately 150,000 patients who visited the hospital between 2014 and 2020. That information was allegedly used to submit fraudulent federal claims.
A status hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 13.
