Wasserman Schultz staffer arrested trying to leave the country

A House IT aide working for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, was arrested this week on bank fraud charges while trying to leave the country.

Fox News reported that Imran Awan was arrested Monday night at Dulles International Airport in Virginia about 30 miles outside Washington, D.C.

Feds/USCP bust Hse IT staffer Imran Awan & charge him with multiple counts of bank fraud as part of Hse IT procurement scandal

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 25, 2017

Feds/USCP picked up Imran Awan at Dulles Aiport last night as he was “trying to leave the country.” Has been arraigned. Surrendered passport

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 25, 2017

{mosads}

Awan, an IT staffer who has worked for many House Democrats and was employed by Wasserman Schultz, was allegedly at the center of a scheme that involved double-charging the House for IT equipment, and may also have exposed House information online, according to Fox.

A spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz said that Awan had been fired on Tuesday.

“Mr. Awan previously served as an employee in our office, but his services have been terminated,” Wasserman Schultz’ spokesman David Damron said in a statement.

Awan and his family have reportedly worked for House Democrats for years. He declared bankruptcy in 2012, but has made millions of dollars on the House payroll over at least a decade of work for various members, according to a Politico report.

In March, a group of House Democrats fired Awan and one other staffer over their alleged involvement in the scheme and the looming criminal investigation. However, Fox News reported Tuesday that Wasserman Schultz still has Awan on her staff’s payroll despite him being barred from accessing the House’s computer system since February.

At the time, Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) both defended Awan.

“As of right now, I don’t see a smoking gun,” Meeks told Politico in March. “I have seen no evidence that they were doing anything that was nefarious.”

“He needs to have a hearing. Due process is very simple. You don’t fire someone until you talk to them,” Fudge added

A spokesman for Wasserman Schultz’s office told Politico in March that Awan worked for the staff in an “advisory” role “providing advice on technology issues.”

Updated: 8:49 p.m.