AUSTIN -- Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General Aaron Reitz accepted a nearly $100,000 donation from a Houston doctor who fled the country after federal authorities accused him of a nearly $300 million medical scam.
Reitz's latest campaign finance report shows the former chief of staff for Sen. Ted Cruz accepted a donation from Dr. Anosh Ahmed. A federal grand jury in Illinois indicted Ahmed in July 2024 in an alleged $15 million embezzlement scheme related to a Chicago hospital where he served as chief financial officer, according to the Justice Department. Ahmed fled the country to Dubai before the indictment, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Ahmed was later indicted in June 2025 on accusations he falsified federal reimbursements for COVID-19 rapid tests at several clinical laboratories he owns in Texas. Justice Department attorneys alleged the false records resulted in $293 million in fraudulent claims.
Ahmed, who has not returned to the U.S., was unreachable for comment. Federal records indicate that he does not have an attorney for his federal cases, or whether the government has attempted to extradite him.
Political Points
Reitz, who is among three prominent Republicans running for the GOP nomination for attorney general, defended his acceptance of Ahmed's donation.
"Dr. Ahmed's contribution was completely legal and ethical under state and federal law," Reitz said in a text message. "He has been accused of things that no court has adjudicated. In America -- the country of which Dr. Ahmed is a citizen -- a person is innocent until proven guilty. I believe in that too, and reserve personal judgment until a judge or jury has spoken."
Reitz added that the media would be better served in investigating his Republican opponents. When asked if he knew Ahmed personally, Reitz sent a copy of a campaign press release touting a $2.1 million fundraising haul.
Campaign finance records showed that from 2022 to 2024, Ahmed gave $165,000 to Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate. Paxton's latest filing with the Federal Election Commission did not show any further donations from Ahmed.
Texas records showed he has not donated to any other candidates. Illinois campaign finance records showed Ahmed has not given to a candidate in that state since 2019.
Paxton did take one donation from Ahmed after he was indicted on the first round of charges in 2024. Texas Ethics Commission records show Paxton received a $25,000 donation from Ahmed three days after the Justice Department announced he had been indicted.
At the time, Ahmed's home was listed as being in Houston, the records show. His June 30 donation to Reitz listed his home as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Paxton campaign spokesman Nick Maddux said the campaign had no comment on the contributions.
Reitz is a former deputy attorney general for legal strategy under Paxton. He worked in the federal Justice Department's department of legal counsel before resigning to run for office. He is a former Marine who served in Afghanistan.