Imran Awan, 37, an information technology (IT) aide who worked for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) and dozens of other lawmakers in the House, was indicted on four felony counts Thursday, according to court documents obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n
Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who was forced to step down over Wikileaks revelations that she worked against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders\u2019 2016 campaign in favor of Hillary Clinton, fired Awan on July 25.<\/p>\n
The indictment<\/a> charges Awan and his wife, Hina Alvi, 33, who also worked as a congressional IT aide, with making false statements on an application to obtain home equity lines of credit on two properties they rented out. Awan and Alvi allegedly sent the money to unnamed individuals in Pakistan.<\/p>\n The criminal charges returned by the grand jury in the US District Court for the District of Columbia include bank fraud; making false statements on a loan or credit application; engaging in unlawful monetary transactions and conspiracy to commit bank fraud; false statements on a loan or credit application and unlawful monetary transactions.<\/p>\n According to the indictment, the couple obtained two home equity lines of credit in the amounts of $165,000 and $120,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union (CFCU). The couple allegedly made false statements that the properties were their primary residences, when they were actually renting them out.<\/p>\n The couple then allegedly transferred $283,000 of those funds to two unnamed individuals in Faisalabad, Pakistan.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was further part of the conspiracy that Awan and Alvi then transferred the funds obtained from those home equity lines of credit to individuals in Pakistan by directly initiating a wire transfer of those funds from Alvi\u2019s checking account at CFCU to Pakistan,\u201d<\/em> the indictment states.<\/p>\n When the CFCU office called Alvi to inquire about the transfer, Awan answered the phone and \u201cpretended to be Alvi,\u201d<\/em> according to the indictment. At first, Awan said the funds were for \u201cfuneral arrangements,\u201d<\/em> however, when he was further questioned, he changed his reason to \u201cpurchasing property.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That same day, Alvi applied for a financial hardship withdrawal from her thrift savings plan in the amount of $202,859, according to the indictment. Alvi allegedly stated that the funds were needed for \u201cmedical expenses,\u201d<\/em> and Awan signed a withdrawal form and had it notarized. That money was then used to pay off the balance of the home equity line of credit at CFCU.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n The indictment comes a month after Awan was arrested on bank fraud charges as he attempted to board a plane to Pakistan at Dulles International Airport.<\/p>\n Bill Miller, a spokesman for the US Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Columbia, told the Daily Caller<\/a> that Awan pleaded not guilty and was released \u201cpursuant to a high-intensity supervision program,\u201d<\/em> which required him to wear a GPS monitor, remain confined to a 50-mile radius around his home, abide by a curfew, and surrender all of his passports.<\/p>\n A criminal complaint<\/a> obtained by Politico states that Alvi previously took a plane to Pakistan in March with her three children.<\/p>\n
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