PHILADELPHIA, PA — Ahmed Hassan, a supervisory engineer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Philadelphia, was found guilty by a federal jury on 22 counts of wire fraud on Friday. The conviction stems from a scheme in which Hassan exploited his trusted role to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of nearly $1 million over several years.
Hassan, aged 70 and residing in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, orchestrated the fraudulent activities from 2013 through October 2017. He misused his position by creating and submitting fictitious invoices from a shell company named HT Mechanical, which he had secretly established with his accomplice, Lynn Hanrahan. Hanrahan, a social worker without any relevant expertise, has already pleaded guilty in a related case and is awaiting sentencing.
The fraudulent scheme involved submitting false invoices for non-existent HVAC and mechanical services purportedly performed at the VAMC. These invoices were processed under the VA’s purchase card program. The VA, unaware of the deceit, paid the invoices, after which Hanrahan returned funds to Hassan via checks or cash deliveries.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero highlighted the severity of the betrayal, stating that Hassan’s actions not only defrauded the VA but also undermined the trust of his colleagues and the veterans served by the VA. His sentencing is scheduled for January 15, 2025, where he could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the FBI,. The prosecution was led by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant United States Attorney Mary Crawley.
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