Former OSU Medical Center Employee Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Repay More than $8 Million in Restitution

TULSA, Okla. - Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Leslie Ann Ameen, 63, of Tulsa, for Wire Fraud. She was ordered to serve 49 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Frizzell further ordered Ameen to pay $8,293,611 in restitution.

"Ameen significantly harmed a hospital that serves our community and is funded by tax-payer dollars," said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. "We are committed to pursuing 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 employed 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 not sought by OSUMC nor required for operating the medical center. Ameen forged signatures on more than 2,200 invoices emailed to her, absconded, and then sold the devices to fund her gambling addiction.

Ameen was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple prosecuted the case.