Feds arrest IT staffer for Wasserman Schultz trying to leave country

A House IT staffer at the center of a congressional computer equipment scandal has been arrested by federal officials and charged with bank fraud, Fox News has learned.

Fox News is told officers and agents from the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and Customs and Border Protection were involved in the arrest of Imran Awan at Dulles International Airport.

Awan, 37, of Virginia, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of bank fraud during his arraignment in federal court in Washington, D.C. He was released but will have to wear a GPS monitor and abide by a curfew.

Awan also was ordered to turn over all his passports. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21.

Law enforcement authorities for months have been looking into how Awan may have double-billed the House for equipment like computers, iPads, monitors, keyboards and routers. Several relatives of Awan worked for House Democrats and were fired months ago. Awan, however, was kept on staff by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., even though he was no longer allowed access to the House server network.

Wasserman Schultz, though, has now fired Awan. Spokesman David Damron said Tuesday in a statement:

"Mr. Awan previously served as a part-time employee but his services have been terminated. No charges, evidence or findings from the investigation have been formally shared with our office, so we cannot comment on them."

Authorities also have looked into IT workers putting sensitive House information on the “cloud” and potentially exposing it to outside sources.

Fox News is told that federal officials arrested Awan at Dulles airport in suburban Virginia as he was “trying to leave the country.”

The criminal complaint and affidavit said he had bought a ticket to fly Monday to Doha, Qatar, and then Lahore, Pakistan, with a return flight booked for early January. The affidavit specifically alleged he engaged in a scheme to defraud a Congressional Federal Credit Union. It did not appear to go in depth into the other matters investigators have been looking into.

Meanwhile, the counsel for Wasserman Schultz, the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, recently began negotiating with Capitol Police for access to her laptop in the case. Until this point, she had resisted USCP efforts to look at her computer – even suggesting “consequences” for the agency if the computer was not promptly returned.

Fox News first reported last week that arrests were coming in the case.

Awan and his relatives worked for House Democrats for more than a decade, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Awan declared bankruptcy in 2012.

Awan is of Pakistani descent, and Democratic sources have argued the family’s ethnicity is a factor in the attention they’re receiving.

Wasserman-Schultz fires IT staffer following fraud arrest

July 26, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has fired an information technology staffer following his arrest on a bank fraud charge at a Virginia airport where he was attempting to fly to Pakistan.

Wasserman Schultz spokesman David Damron says Irman Awan was fired by the Florida Democrat Tuesday. Awan's attorney, Chris Gowen, confirmed that his client was arrested at Dulles Airport Monday. He says Awan was cleared to travel and had informed the House of his plans to visit his family before the scheduled trip.

Gowen says the federal bank fraud count stems from a "modest real estate matter" and is motivated by anti-Muslim bigotry. He's confident Awan "will soon be able to clear his name and get on with his life."

An arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 21, according to Gowen.

Yeah, so far, this is a so-what story. Basically, it's way too soon to know what, if anything to make of it.

Must not be too soon to make an arrest for Bank fraud

Bernie-Shults 2020!

Exactly. Just nothing else for US to chew on yet.

Well this Guy was making tracks for his home in Pakistan. The Washington DC police were given hard drives and a laptop that a US marine, who was checking out the home were these Pakistanis were living in to possibly rent it. DWS, demanded the laptop, not knowing that the FBI, got a hold of the laptop and is investigating her.. This Pakistani born Muslim, was fired for accessing the Senate and House servers, gathering information.. so he was realizing he was about to be picked up by the feds...he bolted.

He sent his wife and kids to escape two days earlier, with over 200k in cash, which for some strange reason, were allowed to take to Pakistan??? Weird.

He is the DNC IT GUY. It's possible he was blackmailing the idiot DWS, debbiewassermanshithead and the DNC, with the Clinton Murder Mafias dirty emails, pedophiles and cash for organs schemes...Ladies and gentlemen, I think we just found the chink in the armour that will put the Clintons, who have infected the DNC, in PRISON!

Where are you getting this information? I see none on any of the main right wing or left wing or centrist sites.

Sry Dr. Frankenstein, here's one of many on youtube, nextnewsnetwork....maybe you should check the alt right.
https://youtu.be/vzKgXGTkgPs

I do check the Alt Right views occasionally. So far they ave proven to be almost 100% unreliable, because they are not run by people dedicated to facts and logic, rather by agenda and an eagerness to believe self-satisfying fantasies.

nothing to see here...Russia, Russia, Russia.

seems there might be a connection to Awan and the Clintons.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/07/27/lawyer-for-wasserman-schultz-ex-it-aide-fraud-count-might-be-placeholder-for-more-charges.html

Agreed Alley,
Looks like the Clinton Mafia is truly about to go down. Seth Rich is an American hero!!!

they still have an Ace in the Hole,Muller!
He was put there to destroy the Trump-Presidency!
Deep State!
He is collecting about every Sleazebag-Deep-Stater into his Hit-squad!

Right, he needs help plugging the holes in the swamp, more Draino!