The former deputy treasurer of Ohio, Amer Ahmad, is scheduled to be released from federal custody on April 15 − 11 years after he fled the country with a suitcase stuffed with cash.
In April 2014, Ahmad fled to avoid sentencing in federal court in a bribery and kickback scheme − traveling to San Diego, walking into Mexico and flying to Pakistan and using a fake passport.
Just months before his escape, Ahmad had pleaded guilty to bribery and to conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud and money laundering and was released on bond awaiting sentencing. As his sentencing date approached, Ahmad bolted.
While on the lam, Ahmad kept a journal titled “Journey to Freedom: Who said escaping injustice would be easy?” Pakistani authorities intercepted him in Lahore where he was jailed for more than a year.
Ahmad grew up in North Canton, earned an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard. After working in the financial markets in Chicago, he and his wife moved to Columbus and Democratic Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray hired Ahmad as the state’s chief financial officer.
When Cordray became attorney general, Ahmad remained in the treasurer’s office and Democrat Kevin Boyce, the newly appointed treasurer, elevated Ahmad to deputy treasurer.
After Boyce lost the 2010 election to Republican Josh Mandel, Ahmad landed a job as the comptroller for the city of Chicago. He resigned that job shortly before being indicted on federal charges.
In 2009, Ahmad re-wrote the state’s investment strategy and put his high school friend, Doug Hampton, on the state’s trader list. Hampton made $3.2 million in fees and kicked back more than $500,000 to Ahmad via two other men, attorney Noure Alo and small business owner Joe Chiavaroli.
Eventually all four men pleaded guilty to federal charges.
American officials tried to extradite Ahmad. When that failed to materialize, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson sentenced in absentia Ahmad to 15 years in prison.
In August 2015, Ahmad dropped his opposition to returning to the U.S. and federal agents went to collect him. Watson told Ahmad he didn’t think he’d ever see him again.
“Spending 16 months in a third-world jail was the consequence of my own actions,” Ahmad told Watson. He thanked his parents for “staying with me” and told them “Please stick with me. I’ll make you proud once again.”
Ahmad served most of his sentence at a federal prison in San Diego. More recently, he moved to a halfway house in Cincinnati.
His sentence included an order to pay $3.2 million in restitution.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbus declined to disclose how much Ahmad had paid, saying that isn’t a public record. Court filings show that federal authorities seized $7,800 from his prisoner account, $3,000 from a deferred compensation account and $220 from an E-Trade account.
Court filings also show that while incarcerated, Ahmad took more than 200 classes on topics ranging from music to film to history to science. He also worked as a tutor and taught GED and other classes.
During the COVID19 pandemic, Ahmad petitioned the federal court for release to home confinement, arguing that he had health issues. The court said no.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former Ohio deputy treasurer to be released from federal custody