A federal investigation has led to the indictment of George Miller, the former CEO of a Chicago hospital, in a sweeping corruption and embezzlement case. Miller, 73, of Dallas, was charged with conspiracy after allegedly steering lucrative vendor contracts to medical supply companies in exchange for cash payments, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The 45-count indictment implicates Miller, alongside the hospital’s former Chief Financial Officer Anosh Ahmed, 40, of Houston, and Sameer Suhail, 47, of Chicago, the owner of several medical supply companies. According to the DOJ, Ahmed and Miller conspired to direct hospital business to Suhail’s companies in return for financial kickbacks.

Previously, Ahmed, Suhail, and Heather Bergdahl, the hospital’s former Chief Transformation Officer, were indicted on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering. The trio allegedly manipulated the hospital’s vendor payment system to issue fraudulent payments to shell companies controlled by Suhail and Ahmed. Bergdahl also stands accused of opening fraudulent bank accounts under the names of legitimate vendors to siphon hospital funds.

The new indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, renews charges against Ahmed, Suhail, and Bergdahl and introduces additional tax fraud charges against Ahmed for underreporting income. It also claims that from 2018 to 2021, Suhail made $19 million in payments, a portion of which were directed to Miller and Ahmed, in exchange for business contracts.

The DOJ highlighted that this case is part of a larger effort to combat fraud within the healthcare industry. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act totalled $2.68 billion, with over $1.8 billion related to healthcare. Since 1986, recoveries under the False Claims Act have exceeded $75 billion, further underscoring the scale of corruption within the sector.

Arraignments for the new charges have not yet been scheduled.