Collegeville Man Stole $500K From VA Through Elaborate Scheme: Feds

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — A Collegeville man has been sentenced to just over five years in prison after defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs of more than half a million dollars, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Ahmed Hassan, 71, will also face three years of probation following his release and must pay $565,058.70 in restitution.

Hassan was a supervisory engineer at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for the facility's large HVAC systems and overseeing related contracts, officials said.

From 2013 through 2017, Hassan used a shell company he created called HT Mechanical to submit false invoices to the VA, authorities said.

Hassan and his girlfriend, social worker Lynn Hanrahan, created elaborate fake invoices detailing the fake work, and received massive payments based on the lie, according to the U.S. Attorney.

“Fraud against the government hurts us all,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said in a statement. “It heightens the cost of public services and threatens their availability to deserving citizens.

Hassan had previously been charged in 2021 and convicted on 22 counts of wire fraud in Oct. 2024 following a week-long trial.

Hanrahan was found guilty on related counts in January and is currently awaiting sentencing.