FBI arrests Pakistani man on bank fraud charges

WASHINGTON: A Pakistani man working for a prominent US lawmaker has been arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on charges of bank loan fraud while trying to leave the United States.

Imran Awan was arrested on Monday night at Dulles International Airport outside the US capital. Awan and his wife Hina Alvi were charged on Tuesday on accusation of lying about a housing equity loan to pilfer $165000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union, according to documents filed in the District of Columbia. He pleaded not guilty but his passport was confiscated and he was outfitted with a GPS monitoring device to prevent him from leaving the country.

The FBI was probing the case for months, according to US media. His wife, Hina Alvi and two other relatives, Jamal and Abid Awan were fired as a result of the probe in March but Imran was kept on by influential Republican Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz who had chaired Democratic National Committee in 2016. 

Hina Alvi flew to Pakistan in March with the couple's three children. A federal court complaint, which noted the children had been abruptly taken out of school in Virginia, said an examination of her luggage found she was carrying $12400 in cash. She was allowed to leave for Pakistan. Investigators believe Awan was ready to do the same with a Monday flight bound for Pakistan, court documents show.

Awan, who has reportedly worked for various members of the House since 2004, has also been under criminal investigation for alleged equipment and data theft for several months, local newspaper the Tampa Bay Times reports. Many of his relatives, who have also worked for House members, have also been part of the investigation.

Awan remained employed by Wasserman Schultz as a technology adviser until Tuesday although he had been prohibited from accessing the House network for about six months.  “Awan previously served as an employee in our office, but his services have been terminated," David Damron, a spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz said in a statement on Tuesday. Several lawmakers, including Reps Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) had already cut ties with the couple as the investigation heated up in late February.