Former U.S. House ‘shared employee’ Imran Awan pleaded ‘not guilty’ to a Federal judge on Friday to charges that he and his wife, Hina Alvi, lied on an application for a home equity loan they wired most of out of the country.
Awan’s attorney, Chris Gowen – former aide of Bill and Hillary Clinton, asked that Awan’s GPS ankle bracelet be removed, telling the court that Imran may need to attend an emergency with his children – who are in Pakistan.
“His ability to parent, which may well be single parenting, if there is an emergency…” Gowen said, failing to explain the discrepancy.
Gowen also claimed that Awan needs the bracelet removed because he has been driving for Uber, and needs restrictions on his movement to be lifted. According to the Daily Caller, however, Uber has no record of Imran Awan (or the various other names he is known by) driving for the company.
Via the Daily Caller:
Prosecutor Michael Marando opposed the motions, saying Imran is a severe flight risk. “From Day 1 there was a pattern of flight. It began September 2016… a pattern of transfers to Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. The judge has not ruled on the motion.
Awan was caught trying to flee the country a day after the Daily Caller reported that smashed computer equipment found in a rental home owned by the Awans was turned over to the FBI.
Interestingly, federal prosecutors hinted at a larger investigation beyond the fraudulent loan application to a Capitol Hill credit union – describing in a letter ‘voluminous discovery, of items found in a Congressional office building back in April – including a laptop used by Awan.
The inclusion of the ‘hard drive, which was recovered from the Longworth House Office Building’ is significant. Recall in May when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz browbeat the Chief of D.C. Capitol Police for three minutes during a budget planning meeting, threatening him with ‘consequences’ if a certain laptop was not turned over – ostensibly the one recovered in April.
During the exchange, Wasserman Schultz asserts that the laptop is hers – and since she isn’t under investigation, the police should return it. “We can’t return the equipment” responded Chief Matthew Verderosa, to which Wasserman Schultz replied “I think you’re violating the rules when you conduct your business that way and you should expect that there will be consequences.”
It will be interesting to see what prosecutors find on that laptop, considering all of the congressional Democrats the Awans worked for – including those on U.S. intelligence committees discussing highly classified information.
Here’s a handy chart of who the various Awans worked for:
