COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus lobbyist and a Canton-based financial adviser were sentenced to more than three years apiece in federal prison for their parts in a bribery scheme that authorities say was orchestrated by an ex-deputy state treasurer who fled to Pakistan to avoid his own sentencing.
Mohammed Noure Alo, of Columbus, was sentenced to four years in prison and Douglas Hampton, of Uniontown, received a term of three years and nine months for their roles in a conspiracy to take advantage of Amer Ahmad’s position as deputy treasurer to funnel state business to Hampton in return for bribes, federal prosecutors said.
Ahmad fled after pleading guilty to several charges and is currently under arrest and awaiting extradition in Pakistan. A fourth defendant is due to be sentenced next month.
Alo, 35, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting honest services wire fraud and Hampton, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, federal program bribery and money laundering.
In addition to their jail time, Alo was ordered to pay a fine of $123,622 and Hampton was ordered to pay a $2.2 million fine.
Before fleeing to Pakistan, Ahmad pleaded guilty to program bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, federal program bribery, and money laundering.
Authorities say the defendants admitted that, from January 2009 through January 2011, Ahmad steered official securities trades on behalf of the Ohio Treasurer’s Office to Hampton who earned about $3.2 million in commissions. He in turn forwarded more than $120,000 to Alo, along with almost $500,000 in additional bribes.
Ahmad and Joseph Chiavaroli, of Chicago, concealed the payments by passing them through the accounts of their landscaping business.
Chiavaroli , 34, pleaded guilty to money laundering and is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 1.
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