Two alleged accomplices, Heather Bergdahl, 37, who served as Loretto’s chief transformation officer between February 2020 and March 2022, and Sameer Suhail, 47, the owner of a medical supply company, were also charged with 36 and 14 counts of various crimes, respectively.
Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
According to the indictment, Ahmed, Bergdahl and Suhail issued payments to the vendor company for goods and services the defendants knew had not been provided. To conceal the activity, Bergdahl opened bank accounts in the names of two legitimate hospital vendors and had the hospital deposit fraudulent payments into those accounts, the indictment alleges.
The defendants also allegedly created fake invoices, payment requests, delivery receipts and other phony documents about goods and services provided to the hospital, according to the statement.
"Unfortunately, the hospital was targeted, preyed upon and fell victim to a crime," a Loretto Hospital spokesperson said in a statement to Crain's. "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."
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Loretto also said it will continue to offer its full cooperation and support to authorities.
Attorneys for Ahmed and Suhail could not be immediately reached. An attorney for Bergdahl did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Today’s indictment is the latest chapter in a federal investigation that began after it came to light that Loretto was administering hundreds of COVID vaccinations to people who were ineligible for the vaccine at sites that appeared to have personal ties to hospital executives.
Vaccination events took place at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lived; at a Gold Coast watch shop where he was a frequent customer; and at a Gold Coast steakhouse where Ahmed was a regular.
The revelations resulted in city officials halting Loretto's vaccine supply. Following the scandal, George Miller, who served as CEO for five years, left Loretto in April 2022 but has not been criminally charged. He was replaced by Tesa Anewishki, who was previously chief development officer and executive director of the Loretto Hospital Foundation.
This story first appeared in Crain's Chicago Business.
