- In a recent court filing, federal prosecutors revealed that fugitive Anosh Ahmed was apprehended in Serbia last year
- Ahmed, who is under indictment on multiple felony charges involving his alleged role in a COVID testing scheme that defrauded taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars, has been a major donor to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Attorney General candidate Aaron Reitz
- Reitz, whom Paxton has endorsed, has defended accepting the contributions from Ahmed and other donors who are facing criminal charges
A major donor to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Attorney General candidate Aaron Reitz, who is accused of defrauding taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars, has been apprehended in Serbia, recently filed court documents reveal.
As previously reported by The Texas Voice, Anosh Ahmed was indicted last year on a multitude of federal charges stemming from his alleged role in a fraudulent COVID testing scheme that defrauded taxpayers out of nearly $300 million.
In a document filed by federal prosecutors on January 28 in the case involving Ahmed’s co-defendants, the prosecutors notified the court that Ahmed had been arrested in Serbia and that government officials were working to have him extradited to the United States.
“On November 30, 2025, the United States received notice that Ahmed was arrested in Serbia pursuant to a Red Notice, i.e., a global alert seeking the provisional arrest of Ahmed, with a view to extradition, based on a national arrest warrant. Within days, the United States government confirmed to Serbia that it intended to seek extradition. The government’s extradition package was submitted to Serbia on January 23, 2026, prior to its due date. As of now, the United States understands that Ahmed remains in custody in Serbia, pending extradition. It is unknown if Ahmed will be extradited, and if he is, it is unknown when,” said prosecutors in the court filing.
The filing also noted that “the government learned on December 30, 2025, that a Serbian Court denied Ahmed’s petition to be released to a hotel in Belgrade and ordered that Ahmed remain in Serbian custody.”
Ahmed and three co-defendants are alleged to have devised a scheme where they submitted false claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration for COVID-19 tests that were purportedly performed for uninsured individuals when, in fact, no such testing had been done. According to the indictment, “the false claims sought reimbursement of approximately $894,520,064, resulting in payments for such false claims in the amount of approximately $293,221,468.”
The charges brought against Ahmed and his co-defendants were part of a massive crackdown on healthcare fraud by the Trump Department of Justice last year.
“This record-setting health care fraud takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake–this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”
Ahmed has established himself as a major donor to Texas politicians in recent years. He has contributed $190,000 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton since 2022 and donated $99,894.26 to Aaron Reitz, whom Paxton has endorsed in the race to succeed him as Attorney General. Reitz reported receiving the donation from Ahmed on June 30, 2025, and listed Dubai as Ahmed’s address on a campaign finance report.
In social media posts, Reitz has defended accepting contributions from Ahmed and other donors who are facing criminal charges.
“Thanks to the “sleuths” trying to smear me by association, I’ve learned that some of my supporters are in business disputes that have attracted grand jury attention. So what? As the saying goes, “you can indict a ham sandwich.” In America, accusations aren’t convictions. And I believe in the presumption of innocence. Always have, always will.
“Every contribution I’ve received is fully legal and ethical under state and federal law,” said Reitz, who added that it is “perfectly legal” for him to accept donations from American citizens who reside overseas.
