PHILADELPHIA, PA — A former supervisory engineer at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center has been sentenced to 64 months in federal prison for orchestrating a years-long scheme that defrauded the Department of Veterans Affairs of more than $500,000.
Ahmed Hassan, 71, of Collegeville, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John F. Murphy following his conviction on 22 counts of wire fraud. In addition to the prison term, Hassan was ordered to pay $565,058.70 in restitution — with $150,000 due within 30 days — and a $2,200 special assessment. He will also serve three years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors revealed that between 2013 and 2017, Hassan created a fake company, HT Mechanical, with his romantic partner, Lynn Hanrahan, a social worker with no technical background. He submitted fraudulent invoices for phantom HVAC work supposedly performed by HT Mechanical, then funneled the payments back to himself through checks and envelopes of cash.
As a senior engineer responsible for managing the VA Medical Center’s mechanical systems and related contracts, Hassan exploited his position of trust to fabricate work orders, deceive procurement officials, and misuse the VA purchase card system to authorize payments for services that were never rendered.
“This sentencing demonstrates that those involved in defrauding VA, particularly VA employees in positions of public trust, will be held accountable,” said Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge for the VA Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf added, “Out of sheer greed, Ahmed Hassan thoroughly betrayed the veterans the VA exists to serve and stole from American taxpayers.”
The investigation was conducted by the VA Office of Inspector General and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Crawley.
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