CHICAGO — A newly unsealed federal indictment reveals that Dr. Anosh Ahmed, former COO and CFO of Loretto Hospital, led a $300 million COVID-19 testing scam while also stealing $15 million from the safety-net hospital.
Ahmed, who resigned from Loretto in 2021 amid a vaccine distribution scandal, now faces 14 counts of fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the federal government. He is among four defendants, including Mohamed “Siraj” Sirajudeen, Mahmood Sami Khan, and Suhaib Ahmad Chaudhry, who prosecutors say orchestrated one of the largest pandemic-era healthcare frauds in the U.S.
Ahmed and Sirajudeen allegedly used O’Hare Clinical Lab and other facilities to submit nearly 1.36 million false claims to the federal government for COVID-19 tests — many tied to fake patients. In total, the scheme attempted to collect $900 million and successfully netted $300 million.
The Scheme:
Between June and September 2021, Ahmed and his partners faked test collections across the country, falsely claiming affiliation with Loretto Hospital to appear legitimate.
They used stolen and collected personal information to file fake claims, sometimes offering free COVID tests or at-home kits to gain data.
Ahmed received a spreadsheet of over 150,000 patient records from someone still working at Loretto after his resignation.
O’Hare Clinical Lab was paid $202 million by the federal government for these tests, and Ahmed’s companies were paid $147 million in return.
When federal officials began scrutinizing O’Hare Clinical Lab, Ahmed and Sirajudeen attempted to obscure ownership and continue the scheme using labs in Texas, filing another 466,000 false claims worth $227 million, netting an additional $83 million.
Prosecutors say the group used fake documentation, backdated contracts, encrypted messaging, and money laundering to cover their tracks. Assets to be forfeited include over $50 million in cash, luxury cars, and multiple properties in Houston.
Background:
Ahmed came under fire in early 2021 when Block Club Chicago revealed he was allowing VIPs—including Eric Trump and clients of a luxury jewelry shop—to receive early access to COVID-19 vaccines through Loretto Hospital. He resigned in March 2021.
In 2024, federal charges began to pile up:
July: Charged with defrauding Loretto Hospital of $15 million
October: Loretto CEO George Miller accused of taking $770,000 in bribes from Suhail-linked companies
May: Former executive Heather Bergdahl charged with embezzling $500,000 from the hospital
Block Club’s previous investigations had exposed suspicious testing practices and misuse of federal funds at pop-up COVID testing sites linked to Ahmed’s network.
What’s Next:
Ahmed fled to Dubai in 2024 and remains at large. His co-defendants have also been charged, though attorneys were not listed for Sirajudeen, Khan, or Chaudhry.
If convicted, the defendants face decades in prison, massive fines, and the forfeiture of luxury assets allegedly tied to the fraud.
