Thursday August 15, 2013 6:11 PM
UPDATED: Thursday August 15, 2013 6:13 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The former Ohio deputy treasurer and a lawyer from Columbus are accused of engaging in bribery and money laundering scheme involving the Ohio Treasurer’s Office.
Amer Ahmad, 38, of Chicago, and Mohammed Noure Alo, 35, of Columbus, were indicted Thursday on charges of conspiracy and honest services wire fraud. Two others also were indicted.
Ahmad also is charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, federal program bribery and making false statements.
According to the Department of Justice, from approximately January 2009 through January 2011, Ahmad and others used Ahmad’s role as deputy treasurer to direct official State of Ohio broker services business to Douglas E. Hampton, a securities broker from Canton, Ohio.
Ahmad and another man, 33-year-old Joseph Chiavaroli, allegedly concealed the payments from Hampton by passing them through a landscaping business owned by Ahmad and Chiavaroli.
Hampton also allegedly funneled in excess of $123,000 to Alo, an attorney and lobbyist who is Ahmad’s close personal friend and business associate, according to the Department of Justice.
The department reported that because of the scheme, Hampton allegedly received $3.2 million in commission for 360 trades on behalf of the Ohio Treasurer’s Office.
On Wednesday, Hampton pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Chiavaroli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Sentencing for the two has not been set.
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