Imran Awan
Imran Awan | |
---|---|
Born | Shahid Imran Awan 1979 |
Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University (BS) |
Criminal charges |
Shahid Imran Awan
In July 2017, Awan was arrested on federal bank fraud charges. During an 18-month investigation into alleged misconduct involving congressional computer equipment,
Biography
Awan was born in Pakistan in 1980.[6] He won a green card for himself and his family in the green card lottery when he was 14.[7] After emigrating to the U.S. in 1997, Awan worked at a fast-food restaurant while attending community college, then transferred to Johns Hopkins University where he earned a degree in information technology.[7] He became a U.S. citizen in 2004[8] and resided in Lorton, Virginia.[9][10]
Awan started working on Capitol Hill in January 2004 as an information technology director for Robert Wexler.[11] His wife Hina Alvi, his two brothers, a sister-in-law, and two friends also worked as congressional information technology staffers. Awan worked as a shared employee, providing technical support for 25 other House Democrats.[11][12]
Allegations of wrongdoing
Alleged equipment theft
In March 2016, House auditors noticed some purchases for computer equipment were broken into multiple parts below $500, and left off the House inventory. Some of this equipment was delivered to the Awan brothers' house.[7]
On February 2, 2017, the
Later Awan, his wife, Hina Alvi, his two brothers and his friend were named as the five IT staffers being investigated. Given the suspected violations, most of the congress members terminated Awan's services; Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida, however, continued to employ Awan in an advisory role.[12][11][14]
On March 5, 2017, the
A government investigation led by
Bank fraud court case
On July 24, 2017, the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police arrested Awan at
On August 17, 2017, a
On September 1, 2017, Awan pleaded not guilty to all of these charges.
Subject of conservative conspiracy theories
Throughout the government investigation, some conservative media outlets, most notably The Daily Caller, spread allegations and conspiracy theories about Awan. These outlets alleged that Awan had had unauthorized access to classified government data, and that he had provided to the Pakistani government and/or leaked some of that information.[27] This included the hacking of the Democratic National Committee server in 2015 and 2016, for which the U.S. intelligence community concluded Russia was responsible.[2] Luke Rosiak, who led The Daily Caller's coverage of Awan, stated in April 2018 that the affair was "straight out of James Bond."[27] The coverage often included reports on Awan's personal finances, his business dealings, and family disputes.[7]
President Donald Trump called for Awan to be investigated for espionage in several posts on Twitter, including one in April 2018 when he referred to Awan as the "Pakistani mystery man", and another in June 2018 when he wrote, "Our Justice Department must not let Awan & Debbie Wasserman Schultz off the hook."[27] Days after Awan was cleared of espionage accusations, Trump mentioned the conspiracy theory during a press conference with Vladimir Putin at a summit in Helsinki, asking "what happened to the servers of the Pakistani gentleman that worked on the DNC?" Trump had been asked if he believed Putin or American intelligence regarding 2016 election interference.[28][29] The judge who sentenced Awan in the bank fraud case criticized these conspiracy theories, calling them "an unbelievable onslaught of scurrilous media attacks to which he and his family have been subjected," adding there had been "accusations lobbed at him from the highest branches of the government, all of which have been proved to be without foundation by the FBI and the Department of Justice."[5]
In January 2020, Awan and four associates filed a lawsuit against Rosiak, The Daily Caller and
References
- ^ "Influential expat shields father from long arm of law". Dawn. September 4, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Boburg, Shawn; Hsu, Spencer S. (July 3, 2018). "Ex-congressional IT staffer reaches plea deal that debunks conspiracy theories about illegal information access". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c Zraick, Karen (July 3, 2018). "Imran Awan, Ex-Congressional I.T. Worker, Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hsu, Spencer S. (August 21, 2018). "Ex-congressional IT staffer given time served in loan case after prosecutors debunk conspiracy theories". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "FBI arrests US lawmaker's Pakistan-born IT aide Imran Awan for bank fraud". Financial Express. July 27, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Boburg, Shawn (September 16, 2017). "Federal probe into House technology worker Imran Awan yields intrigue, no evidence of espionage". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c Sherman, Amy (August 18, 2017). "Wasserman Schultz's former IT worker and his wife indicted in bank-fraud scheme". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Reid, Paula (July 26, 2017). "Former Wasserman Schultz IT staffer arrested on charges of bank fraud". CBS News. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Watkins, Eli (July 27, 2017). "Democratic staffer arrested on bank fraud charge". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fandos, Nicholas (July 28, 2017). "Trump Fuels Intrigue Surrounding a Former I.T. Worker's Arrest". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Caygle, Heather (February 6, 2017). "House staffers under criminal investigation still employed". Politico. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Caygle, Heather (February 2, 2017). "House staffers under criminal investigation for alleged equipment theft". Politico. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- The McClatchy Company. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- Nash Holdings. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ "Ex-Dem IT staffer slammed by Trump pleads guilty to bank fraud". POLITICO. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ Leary, Alex (July 3, 2018). "Federal prosecutors debunk conspiracy theory involving ex-Wasserman Schultz aide". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ Watkins, Eli (July 27, 2017). "Democratic staffer arrested on bank fraud charge". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Pergram, Chad; Gibson, Jake (July 25, 2017). "Feds arrest IT staffer for Wasserman Schultz trying to leave country". Fox News. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Caygle, Heather; Bresnahan, John (July 25, 2017). "Wasserman Schultz aide arrested trying to leave the country". Politico. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "Wasserman Schultz Fires IT Staffer Following Fraud Arrest". Associated Press. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Gibson, Jake (August 17, 2017). "Wasserman Schultz' ex-IT aide indicted on 4 counts". Fox News. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Bresnahan, John (August 17, 2017). "Charges revised against ex-Wasserman Schultz aide". Politico. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ a b Man, Anthony (August 17, 2017). "Federal grand jury indicts former Wasserman Schultz aide Imran Awan". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ "Ex-IT aide for Wasserman Schultz pleads not guilty". Fox News. September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ Shortell, David (August 21, 2018). "Former House IT staffer at center of debunked conspiracy theories avoids jail time". CNN. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c Cameron, Dell (July 3, 2018). "Feds Debunk IT Staffer Conspiracy Theory Pushed by The Daily Caller and Trump". Gizmodo. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ Timm, Jane C. (July 16, 2018). "Fact check: Trump promoted conspiracy theories. Here's the truth". NBC News. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Simon, Abigail (July 16, 2018). "President Trump Gave a Nod to a 2016 Conspiracy Theory in Helsinki". Time. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer S. (January 28, 2020). "Ex-congressional staffer alleges defamation by reporter, conservative media outlets". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Shortell, David (January 29, 2020). "Former House IT staffer at center of debunked conspiracy theory sues The Daily Caller". CNN. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Sommer, Will (January 10, 2022). "Former House Staffer Opens Up About How Conservative Media Ruined His Life". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
External links
- Imran Awan on Inside Gov
- Gowen Rhoades Winograd & Silva PLLC: Chris Gowen: Statement on the Imran Awan Case (July 27, 2017)
- The Grand Jury's indictment