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March 21, 2007
FORMER BANK EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO BANK FRAUD
(HOUSTON, TX) Arsalan Ahmed, 23, a former senior teller at the Westwood Branch of Washington Mutual Bank, has been convicted of bank fraud and faces prison, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
Ahmed pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal to committing bank fraud at a hearing held late Tuesday, March 20, 2007. According to the record of the case, in June 2003, the United States District Court froze the Horizon Medical Supplies account at Washington Mutual Bank. The owner of the account, James Pius Ekiko, was charged in federal court with health care fraud and conspiracy stemming from submitting false claims to Medicare in connection with a power wheelchair scam. At the time it was frozen, the Horizon account had a balance of approximately $1.3 million. Ekiko was convicted of health care fraud and conspiracy in September 2006.
Prior to Ekiko’s conviction, but after the account had been frozen, Ahmed lifted the hold order without authorization from the court on two occasions. The first time in October, 2004, Ahmed made 37 withdrawals totaling approximately $144,000 from the account. Washington Mutual Bank replaced the hold in November 2004.
In March, 2005, Ahmed lifted the hold on the Horizon account a second time and made 22 withdrawals totaling approximately $140,379. Ahmed was arrested following the issuance of a federal warrant in August, 2006, and has remained in custody without bond since his arrest.
Ahmed faces a maximum statutory punishment of thirty years imprisonment, a $1 million fine and a five year term of supervised release. Judge Rosenthal has scheduled sentencing for August 14, 2007. Ahmed, a Pakistani national, is subject to deportation upon completion of any prison term imposed by the court.
The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Buchanan.
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