CHICAGO — The former Loretto Hospital executive who is accused of embezzling millions from the hospital — and defrauding the federal government of nearly $300 million — has been arrested in Serbia.
Anosh Ahmed was taken into custody in Serbia on Nov. 30. On Friday, the U.S. government requested his extradition, according to a Wednesday court filing.
Ahmed remains in custody in Serbia — though he requested on Dec. 30 that the Serbian courts release him to a hotel in Belgrade, which was denied.
Ahmed had been living abroad — with federal prosecutors calling him a “fugitive” — since shortly before prosecutors brought charges against him in the Loretto Hospital case.
Prosecutors have said Ahmed and Sameer Suhail worked together to embezzle $15 million from Loretto, a taxpayer-funded hospital, and steered another $19 million worth of hospital contracts to Suhail through “corrupt” means, including bribery. Suhail was Ahmed’s friend, business partner and next-door neighbor in Chicago’s Trump Tower.
Ahmed is also charged in a separate COVID-19 testing scheme that defrauded the government of about $300 million.
The charges came after a series of Block Club Chicago investigations put the spotlight on Ahmed and Suhail.
Block Club has reported extensively on Ahmed’s troubling conduct at Loretto Hospital, from letting well-connected people access COVID-19 vaccines early — and even bragging he vaccinated Eric Trump — to contracting with companies owned by Suhail.
Separately, Block Club also revealed in 2021 and 2022 that various COVID-19 testing companies were providing questionable and sometimes fake results while appearing to wrongfully seek federal reimbursements worth hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the labs highlighted by Block Club Chicago for problematic work was O’Hare Clinical Lab.
Those stories converged this summer when prosecutors said Ahmed, Mohamed “Siraj” Sirajudeen and Mahmood Sami Khan used O’Hare Clinical Lab, among others, to submit false COVID-19 testing claims to the government. They sought about $900 million in reimbursements, of which they received about $300 million.
Ahmed has been charged with 14 counts of fraud, as well as conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, two counts of wrongful renumeration involving federal health care programs, wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information and five counts of money laundering, according to an indictment in the COVID-19 testing case.
Ahmed knew about the investigations swirling around him before the charges came, according to court records. It’s likely Suhail also knew. One of their co-defendants in the Loretto case — whom prosecutors say they stopped on a plane as she tried to flee to Dubai — noted in court records that she was aware of the investigation by 2022.
But shortly before the charges came, Suhail moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he has opened a luxury plastic surgery clinic and has posted photos of him in designer clothing and watches worth thousands on social media.
In a January Instagram “story” post, Suhail shared an image that said, “These days, you need a job, a side hustle, and a little fraud on the side.”
Ahmed also left the United States and began posting to social media and putting out press releases, making increasingly overt appeals to President Donald Trump in what appears to be a bid for clemency.
The case has been delayed due to Ahmed and Suhail’s fugitive status, according to court records.
Appeals To Trump
Anosh Ahmed has begun using edited photos that put his head on someone else’s body — such as this one — as he’s worked to rebuild his reputation using press releases. Credit: Provided
Ahmed resigned from Loretto in March 2021 amid intense public scrutiny after Block Club reported on him providing Loretto’s COVID-19 vaccines to well-connected people.
Ahmed returned to Houston, where he’d previously lived and operated nightclubs, and soon married, according to county records. He bought and sold several multimillion-dollar properties — including one described as a “miniature Daddy Warbucks mansion” — and started another business, Anosh Inc., which bills itself as an investment and consulting firm. He was planning to open an office in Dubai, according to court records.
Ahmed and his wife, who is from France, also registered several real estate-related companies there in 2023, records show.
During the same period, Ahmed orchestrated a conspiracy to defraud the government using his ties to Loretto Hospital, prosecutors have said.
Federal prosecutors seek to seize this home in Houston as part of their case against Anosh Ahmed. Records show Ahmed’s company granted it to a relative. Credit: Apple Maps
Records showed Anosh Ahmed lived at this Houston mansion, which had six bedrooms, an indoor pool, a wine cellar, sauna and gym. Credit: Google Maps
Shortly after Ahmed resigned from Loretto Hospital, he used personal information stolen from Loretto’s patients to submit fake COVID-19 testing reimbursement claims to the government, prosecutors have said. Ahmed partnered with Chicago-based O’Hare Clinical Lab — which Block Club highlighted as problematic in 2022 — as part of the scheme, and he instructed workers to lie to government officials while feigning that his fake tests were being done through Loretto Hospital, prosecutors have said.
Ahmed, with others, also took control of several non-operational labs in Texas and continued the scheme, submitting fake claims to the government for COVID-19 tests that weren’t done, prosecutors have said.
Those involved in the conspiracy sought reimbursements of about $900 million from the federal government — and got about $300 million, prosecutors have said.
Ahmed fled to Dubai by August 2023, according to court records.
Federal officials want to seize $50.5 million in a bank account Ahmed had, as well as another $42.3 million in securities and interests, according to court records. They also seized a 2020 Rolls-Royce Phantom, a 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a 2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a 2020 Lamborghini Huracan and four properties in Houston.
Ahmed claims to manage $1.5 billion in assets through his latest venture, the Private Family Office of Anosh Ahmed, which bills itself online as a wealth management firm. The business — which has an online history going back to 2024 — claims to have offices in Dubai, London, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States, with another opening “soon” in Singapore. It does not appear to be registered in the Emirates, Texas or Illinois. On its website, the company claims to stand for “honesty” and “openness,” among other values.
In the United States, Ahmed left behind bills: Court records show American Express is suing Ahmed in Texas, alleging he racked up about $120,000 on a credit card before canceling it in July 2024 without paying off the balance.
Sekai, a Houston day and nightclub, was part of Anosh Ahmed’s collection of businesses in Houston. Credit: Facebook
Cintas, a uniform and supply company, is separately suing Ahmed for about $171,000, alleging he didn’t pay for services it provided at Sekai, a Houston nightclub he owns.
While living abroad, Ahmed has released dozens of news releases making questionable claims about charitable and entrepreneurial work.
One news release claimed an unnamed “UN-affiliated health organization” is working with Ahmed to “develop COVID-19 testing and vaccination protocols” in north Africa. Another one from July 7 claimed Ahmed is expanding “his COVID-19 testing services” throughout the world — just weeks after prosecutors announced the $300 million fake COVID-19 testing case.
Another release says Ahmed is setting up an Illinois-based PAC that will “raise awareness around policy issues.” An Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson said the agency has no record of a PAC associated with Ahmed. The Federal Election Commission also does not appear to have any recently created PACs associated with Ahmed.
And Ahmed has targeted Chicago in these efforts, claiming in a June 22 news release that he’s setting up a cryptocurrency hub in a massive, vacant warehouse in the city. In a news release, Ahmed announced a supposed AI data center on the West Side. A spokesperson for the city’s planning department previously said the city has no information about the purported crypto project.
The news releases frequently include edited photos of Ahmed, using the same, years-old image of his head pasted onto different bodies. They don’t mention the charges he’s facing or the scandals he’s tied to. They list an array of spokespeople reporters can contact, but no one has ever picked up when Block Club has called, and no record of the various spokespeople can be found online.
Frequent press releases from Anosh Ahmed make questionable claims about his businesses and charity work. They often include edited images of Ahmed.
In recent months, the news releases have found a new focus: Ahmed is making increasingly bold overtures to Trump and Republicans and recrafting his online persona.
In the June 22 news release, Ahmed described himself as a “Republican leader” who is building the cryptocurrency hub in alignment with the “Trump administration’s push for American leadership” in cryptocurrency. The same news release listed Meghan Trump — who does not appear to exist — as a media contact and her phone number as the number for Chicago’s Trump Tower.
In a July 11 news release, Ahmed says he has a “deep commitment to American values and conservative leadership.” He also claims to have founded the Anosh Supports America First Foundation earlier this year, but it is not listed as a charity with the IRS.
“Being a proud Republican and believer in America First means stepping up when our people need help — not just with words, but with real action,” Ahmed said in the news release.
Ahmed had no public political roles in Chicago or Houston. Records from Harris County, where he maintained his residence, show he only voted there once, in the 2020 general election. He never voted in Chicago, according to election board records.
Ahmed’s political donations have been sporadic and bipartisan, according to finance data. Campaign finance records show he donated a total of $12,000 to La Shawn Ford, a local Democrat, when Ford ran for Chicago mayor in 2019; and he’s donated $190,000 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who is running for U.S. Senate, since October 2022.
Ahmed’s most recent donation to Paxton, a Trump ally, came in July 2024 — just days after prosecutors unsealed the indictment charging Ahmed with embezzlement. He is one of Paxton’s top donors. Paxton’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
An Instagram and YouTube account from Ahmed advertise his next venture: a podcast to be called “The Anosh Ahmed Show.” The YouTube account bills it as “unapologetically real.” So far, it has posted two videos using stock video with an AI voiceover.
On the show’s Instagram page, Ahmed described himself as a “target of political weaponization” and a “patriot.”
“Many like me have been targeted due to political affiliations,” reads a since-deleted June 27 post from the account. “No matter the attacks, my loyalty remains with God, country, and the people.”
Ahmed was arrested Nov. 30 in Serbia, as the United States had issued a global alert informing other countries it had an arrest warrant out for Ahmed.
Ahmed remains in custody in Serbia pending his possible extradition to the United States.
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