- Dr. Anosh Ahmed, who has donated $190,000 to Paxton since 2022, faces federal fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering charges
- Ahmed’s most recent reported donation to Paxton came just days after a warrant was issued for his arrest
- Ahmed is currently a fugitive who is believed to have absconded to Dubai
One of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top donors since 2022 is a federal fugitive who is facing numerous felony charges, including wire fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering.
Dr. Anosh Ahmed has contributed $190,000 to Paxton’s campaign since October 2022, making him one of Paxton’s largest donors over the last three years.
The Department of Justice announced a superseding indictment of Ahmed and two co-defendants on July 12, 2024. In a statement regarding the indictments, the Department of Justice described Ahmed – who had been the Chief Financial Officer of Loretto Hospital in Chicago – as having “schemed with a colleague and the owner of a medical supply company to embezzle more than $15 million in hospital funds.” In that indictment, Ahmed was charged with eight counts of wire fraud, four counts of embezzlement, eleven counts of aiding and abetting embezzlement, and three counts of money laundering.
A second superseding indictment against Ahmed and his co-defendants was filed on October 11, 2024, which added additional charges of tax evasion to the charges from the previous indictment.
Ahmed made his first donation to Paxton, in the amount of $15,000, on October 24, 2022. His other contributions to Paxton include $25,000 on December 10, 2022, two donations of $25,000 on December 19, 2023, $25,000 on February 11, 2024, $50,000 on May 28, 2024, and $25,000 on July 15, 2024.
According to court records, a warrant for Ahmed’s arrest was issued on July 12, 2024 – three days before Paxton reported receiving a $25,000 contribution from Ahmed. The Chicago Tribune has reported that one of Ahmed’s co-defendants, Heather Bergdahl, was apprehended by authorities on May 10, 2024, after she had boarded a private jet that was headed to Dubai. Ahmed’s $50,000 donation to Paxton came just two and a half weeks after Bergdahl’s arrest.
At the time of her arrest, Bergdahl was employed by Ahmed. During her initial court appearance, Bergdahl’s attorney stated that the investigation that resulted in her arrest had been “ongoing since at least 2021, perhaps as far back as 2020” and that Bergdahl “was well aware that she was under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Ahmed’s criminal case is currently on the “fugitive calendar” for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Chicago Tribune has also reported that Ahmed is believed to have absconded to Dubai. In court records, Ahmed is described as “a fugitive.”
Outside of his large donations to Paxton, Ahmed does not appear to be particularly politically active. A review of campaign finance databases maintained by the Texas Ethics Commission and the Federal Election Commission does not reflect any political contributions by Ahmed to any state or federal candidate or officeholder other than Paxton. Voter data reviewed by The Texas Voice indicates that Ahmed has not voted since the 2020 general election.
Ahmed resigned from his position at Loretto Hospital in Chicago in March 2021 amid a scandal in which he was alleged to have helped friends and associates obtain COVID-19 vaccinations that they were not eligible for.
On his website, the Pakistani-born Ahmed touts his philanthropic endeavors, including providing Iftar meals to laborers in Dubai during Ramadan. A press release dated November 11, 2024, regarding a donation of food to Lebanon, describes Ahmed as a “Dubai billionaire” and “one of the largest leaseholders of agricultural land across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.”
