Prosecutors say the COVID-19 testing scheme sought nearly $900 million and paid out more than $293 million.
CHICAGO, IL — A former Loretto Hospital executive accused of orchestrating a pandemic-era billing scheme worth nearly $300 million has been arrested in Serbia and remains in custody there as the United States seeks his extradition, according to newly filed federal court records.
Authorities contend the case sits at the intersection of local hospital turmoil and one of the largest alleged COVID-19 testing frauds pursued since the pandemic. The onetime chief financial officer, who resigned in 2021 amid separate controversies, allegedly used patient data to submit false claims through outside labs between 2021 and 2022. The arrest overseas shifts the long-running investigation to an extradition stage, with prosecutors telling the court they have asked Serbia to surrender the defendant so he can face charges in Chicago federal court.
Federal filings say the executive, identified by prosecutors as Anosh Ahmed, was arrested Nov. 30, 2025, after an international notice sought his capture. He had left the United States following earlier charges tied to a separate embezzlement case at the West Side safety-net hospital. In a January filing, prosecutors said Serbia denied a defense request to move him to a hotel in Belgrade and ordered that he remain in custody pending the U.S. extradition request. “As of now, the United States understands that Ahmed remains in custody in Serbia, pending extradition,” the filing stated. The new filing does not give a timetable for a transfer, and courts in both countries will handle the next steps.
Investigators allege Ahmed and others took names, birthdates and other identifiers from more than 150,000 Loretto Hospital patients to create claims for COVID-19 tests that were never performed. According to charging documents, the group routed nearly $894.5 million in claims through multiple laboratories in Illinois and Texas and received more than $293 million in federal reimbursements before payments were halted. Prosecutors also say Ahmed continued collecting samples under Loretto’s name after he left the hospital, using that affiliation to make the paperwork appear legitimate. In a separate case, he and business associates are accused of steering hospital contracts and siphoning more than $15 million through sham vendors; former Chief Executive Officer George Miller Jr. was later added to that indictment. The filings do not indicate whether additional arrests are expected in the COVID-19 testing case.
The arrest follows years of scrutiny at Loretto, a 122-bed hospital that serves the Austin neighborhood. The hospital drew city sanctions in 2021 after vaccinations were provided to people who were not yet eligible, prompting leadership changes and public criticism. The alleged billing scheme unfolded in the months after, when federal COVID-19 testing programs reimbursed providers at scale. Prosecutors say the claims tied to Loretto’s patient data were submitted between April 2021 and June 2022 even though, according to the indictment, the tests were not performed. Industry records and prior filings describe a network of shell companies and vendor accounts designed to conceal who controlled the money. None of the allegations involve current hospital leadership, and Loretto has not been charged in the case.
With Ahmed now in Serbian custody, the case enters a procedural phase that can stretch for months. U.S. authorities have notified Serbia of their intent to seek extradition. A Serbian court will first weigh the request under local law and any applicable treaty; if approved, U.S. marshals would transport Ahmed to Chicago to be arraigned. In the United States, he faces counts that include wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering in the COVID-19 testing matter, along with embezzlement-related charges in the separate vendor case. Court records indicate a previous hearing in Serbia on Dec. 30, 2025, resulted in continued detention. The U.S. filing does not set a date for his first appearance in Chicago, and prosecutors did not estimate when an extradition ruling might come.
Neighbors near Loretto described a mix of relief and fatigue after news of the arrest. “We’ve been waiting to see accountability,” said Angela Price, who runs a small shop on West Harrison Street and lives a few blocks from the hospital. “People here rely on that place.” A nurse who worked at an Austin clinic in 2021 said patients were confused when bills and benefit notices listed tests they never took. “We had seniors bringing in stacks of letters,” said the nurse, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Sheryl. Outside the hospital on Thursday, traffic moved past the brick façade as a light snow fell, and a poster on the lobby wall advertised winter vaccination hours run by the city.
As of Friday, Ahmed remained in a Serbian detention facility while the extradition request is pending. Prosecutors said they would update the court when foreign authorities set a schedule for hearings or transfer. No trial date has been set in Chicago, and additional filings are expected in the coming weeks.
Author note: Last updated January 30, 2026.