Lab Owner Pleads Guilty in Massive COVID-19 Testing Fraud

Overview

• Mohamed “Siraj” Sirajudeen admitted guilt in federal court for his role in a scheme that billed government programs for fake COVID-19 tests and pleaded guilty to money laundering.
• Sirajudeen acknowledged paying more than $147 million to companies controlled by former Loretto executive Anosh Ahmed to secure patient data and fabricated specimens for testing claims.
• Prosecutors say the broader scheme sought nearly $900 million in federal reimbursements and that several hundred million dollars were actually paid to providers involved.
• Ahmed, who has been held in Serbia, will no longer contest U.S. extradition and is expected to face charges in Chicago that Sirajudeen has agreed to help prosecute.
• The cases have been complicated by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to dropped charges against some co-defendants and have heightened judicial scrutiny of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, delaying Sirajudeen’s sentencing and shaping how remaining prosecutions proceed.