Shahid Imran Awan (born 1980) is a Pakistani-American information technology worker. From 2004 to 2017, he worked as a shared employee for Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In July 2017, he was arrested on bank fraud charges as part of a federal investigation.
For the cricketer, see Imran Awan (cricketer). Shahid Imran Awan (born 1980) is a Pakistani-American information technology worker. From 2004 to 2017, he worked as a shared employee for Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives . In July 2017, Awan was arrested on federal bank fraud charges.
On August 17, 2017, a federal grand jury, convened in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, indicted Awan and his wife on four counts, including conspiracy, making false statements, bank fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions.
Awan started working on Capitol Hill in January 2004 as an information technology director for Robert Wexler. 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.
In July 2017, Awan was arrested on federal bank fraud charges. During an 18-month investigation into alleged misconduct involving congressional computer equipment, he was subject to conspiracy theories involving espionage. On July 3, 2018, federal prosecutors concluded their investigation, "publicly debunking allegations" that Awan "was a Pakistani operative who stole government secrets with cover from House Democrats". On July 3, 2018, Awan pleaded guilty to having made a false representation on a home equity line of credit application. On August 21, 2018, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Awan to time served and three months of supervision.
On July 24, 2017, the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police arrested Awan at Washington Dulles International Airport. He had previously purchased a ticket to Lahore, Pakistan, with a return flight in January 2018. Awan was arraigned the following day and pleaded not guilty to one count of bank fraud. He was ordered to surrender his passports, abide by a curfew, and wear a GPS device. Wasserman-Schultz fired Awan on July 25 after learning about his arrest.
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. Luke Rosiak, who led The Daily Caller' s coverage of Awan, stated in April 2018 that the affair was "straight out of James Bond." The coverage often included reports on Awan's personal finances, his business dealings, and family disputes.
The investigation concluded in early July 2018 with Awan pleading guilty to making a false statement on a bank loan application.
Attorney Jessie K. Liu included forensic analysis of computer equipment and data, as well as interviews with about 40 witnesses. The investigation addressed various right-wing conspiracy theories about Awan, concluding that it had "found no evidence that [Awan] illegally removed House data from the House network or from House Members' offices, stole the House Democratic Caucus Server, stole or destroyed House information technology equipment, or improperly accessed or transferred government information, including classified or sensitive information." The investigation found no evidence of ties between Awan and a foreign intelligence agency targeting Congress, or between Awan and an alleged criminal ring that stole equipment from Democratic lawmakers. The investigators stated, "the government has uncovered no evidence that [Imran Awan] violated federal law with respect to the House computer system".
In January 2020, Awan and four associates filed a lawsuit against Rosiak, The Daily Caller and Regnery Publishing in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia alleging defamation and unjust enrichment.
Wasserman-Schultz fired Awan on July 25 after learning about his arrest. On August 17, 2017, a federal grand jury, convened in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, indicted Awan and his wife on four counts, including conspiracy, making false statements, bank fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions.