TULSA, Oklahoma – U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell has sentenced Leslie Ann Ameen, 63, of Tulsa, for wire fraud.
She was sentenced to 49 months in prison, followed by three years of probation. Judge Frizzell also ordered Ameen to pay $8,293,611 in restitution.
“Ameen caused significant harm to a hospital that serves our community and is funded with taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “We are determined to prosecute those who defraud and steal from taxpayers in the Northern District of Oklahoma.”
According to court documents, Ameen devised a scheme to defraud her employer while working as a telecommunications specialist at Oklahoma State University Medical Center (OSUMC). For approximately nine years, Ameen arranged for OSUMC to purchase laptops, phones, and tablets from Techsico Enterprises Solutions, LLC. The electronic devices were of no interest to OSUMC or necessary for the medical center’s operations. Ameen forged signatures on more than 2,200 invoices emailed to her, fled, and then sold the devices to fund her gambling addiction.
Ameen was allowed to remain in custody on bail and voluntarily surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple led the prosecution.
