Joseph was part of a powerful gang led by the Ahmed brothers, who controlled parts of Mohammadpur.[7] The gang was involved in extortion, violence, and allegedly protected politicians of the Awami League, including Sheikh Hasina during the politically unstable 1980s and 1990s.[7] He later became a member of the Seven Star Gang led by Subrata Bain.[5]
In 1996, Joseph was one of three brothers implicated in the murder of Mustafizur Rahman Mustafa, a leader of the Freedom Party.[7][5] Mustafizur Rahman Mustafa provided a deathbed statement, which became the basis for Joseph's conviction.[7] In 2004, he was sentenced to death by the Speedy Trial Tribunal of Dhaka for his role in the killing.[7][1] He had 10 other cases regarding illegal firearms and extortion.[5] His brothers, Haris Ahmed and Anis Ahmed, were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.[8] On 20 September 2007, the High Court Division upheld his conviction.[1]
On 9 December 2015, Joseph's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.[5] He was represented by Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Mahbub Ali, and A. M. Aminuddin.[1] In 2018, during the tenure of his brother Aziz Ahmed as Chief of Army Staff, Joseph received a presidential pardon and was released from jail.[7] The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, recommended him for pardon.[9] The pardon drew condemnation from civil society and international observers who questioned the transparency of the process and the apparent political favouritism.[7] Before his pardon, he was staying in relative comfort at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University as a VIP prisoner.[10]
Joseph is the brother of General Aziz Ahmed, who served as Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff from 2018 to 2021.[7] According to an Al Jazeera's investigation documentary, All the Prime Minister's Men, Aziz played a key role in securing his brother's release.[7] Recordings and documents obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit show that Aziz used his influence to support Joseph and his other fugitive brothers, Haris Ahmed and Anis Ahmed.[7]
In 2019, Joseph was seen publicly attending his nephew's high-profile wedding in Dhaka alongside his fugitive brothers and General Aziz.[7] The event was attended by the President of Bangladesh, Mohammad Abdul Hamid, and other political and military dignitaries.[7] In 2021, the Bangladesh Government pardoned Haris Ahmed and Anis Ahmed.[11] In late 2018, shortly after receiving the presidential pardon, Joseph was photographed meeting with Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the minister's residence.[12] This meeting, which occurred just before his brother Aziz Ahmed's appointment as Chief of Army Staff, raised serious concerns about the political motivations behind Joseph's release.[12] Further scrutiny emerged when Netra News and Al Jazeera revealed photographs of Joseph with Benazir Ahmed, then head of the Rapid Action Battalion and later Inspector General of Police.[12] The Bangladesh government dismissed the report as anti-Bangladesh propaganda.[13]
Both Joseph and his brother Haris secured Bangladeshi passports under fake names.[14] They had also acquired citizenship and a passport from Antigua and Barbuda.[14] After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League news in August 2024, their national identity cards were cancelled by the Bangladesh Election Commission.[15][16] Their passports were later cancelled.[17] In September 2024, Salim Prodhan, the chairman of the Japan-Bangladesh Security Printing and Papers Company Limited, filed an extortion case against him and his brothers.[18]