Amer Ahmed, a former deputy treasurer of Ohio, has been extradited from Pakistan to serve a 15-year prison sentence for his role in a bribery and money-laundering scheme in the U.S.
Ahmad, a person of Pakistani-origin pleaded guilty in December 2013 to federal programme bribery and conspiracy to commit federal programme bribery, honest services wire fraud and money-laundering.
Following his guilty plea, Ahmad fled the U.S. and was arrested by Pakistani authorities while attempting to illegally enter that country, the Department of Justice said. He has remained in custody and the U.S. government had requested his extradition.
15 years in jail in absentia
On December 1 last year, Ahmad was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $3.2 million in illicit proceeds.
A remand hearing has been scheduled for Friday, August 28.
According to admissions in connection with his guilty plea, from January 2009 through January 2011, Ahmad used his position as deputy treasurer to direct official state of Ohio business to securities broker Douglas E Hampton in return for bribes.
Concealed payments
Ahmad and Chicago businessman Joseph Chiavaroli concealed the payments they received from Hampton by passing them through the accounts of their landscaping business. Mr. Hampton also funnelled more than $1,23,000 to Mohammed Noure Alo, an attorney and lobbyist who was Ahmad’s close personal friend and business associate.
Over the course of the scheme, Mr. Hampton paid in excess of $5,00,000 in bribes and received, in exchange, approximately $3.2 million in commissions for 360 securities trades on behalf of the Ohio Treasurer’s Office.
