WASHINGTON–The federal case against Imran Awan, a former IT aide for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) who allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to steal money from a credit union, has now expanded with additional charges filed.
The case has attracted substantial political and media attention even as Congressional FCU has to date been identified as just a victim in the scheme.
Awan had originally been charged with a single bank fraud count; additional charges have been added, including conspiracy. His wife, Hina Alvi, who also fled the country, has also now been indicted by a grand jury decision in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Awan was arrested at Dulles airport a month ago as he tried to board a plane to Pakistan, where his family is from.
According to Reuters, Awan and other IT aides for House Democrats have been on investigators’ radar for months over concerns of possible double-billing, alleged equipment theft, and access to sensitive computer systems. Although some had called for Awan to be fired in February, Wasserman Shultz did not do so until July.
The indictment addresses separate allegations that Awan and his wife engaged in a conspiracy to obtain home equity lines of credit from Congressional FCU by giving false information about two properties – and then sending the proceeds to individuals in Pakistan, Reuters reported.
Reuters reported that Awan and other family members for years had a lucrative arrangement for IT-related work on Capitol Hill for House Democrats, and cited a report by The Daily Caller that members of the Pakistani family made at least $4 million since 2009.