A former chief financial officer of a Chicago hospital, along with the hospital’s chief transformation officer and a medical supply company owner, conspired to embezzle more than $15 million from the hospital, according to a superseding indictment handed down by an Illinois federal grand jury on Thursday.
Elaborate Scheme to Defraud Hospital
Prosecutors allege that for years, Anosh Ahmed, former CFO of Loretto Hospital, worked with Heather Bergdahl, the hospital’s chief transformation officer, and Sameer Suhail, a medical supply company owner, to have the hospital issue payments to vendor companies for goods and services that were never provided.
In fact, those vendors were allegedly created by Suhail and Ahmed under various names to hide their connection to the fraudulent payments. Prosecutors claim Bergdahl opened bank accounts in the names of two legitimate hospital vendors, leading to the hospital depositing fraudulent payments into those accounts.
Former Hospital CFO Embezzled $15M : Concealing the Fraud
The indictment describes the hospital only as “Hospital A.” However, Ahmed’s LinkedIn profile indicates he worked as CFO of Loretto Hospital during the relevant period. The scheme purportedly lasted from 2018 to 2022, ultimately diverting more than $15 million into accounts controlled by Ahmed, Bergdahl, and Suhail, the Justice Department said.
