US

Wasserman Schultz Aide Who Fled US Strikes A Deal To Return, Facing Charges

DCNF photo

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
Font Size:

A former staffer for Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz who fled to Pakistan while under criminal investigation has struck a deal with federal officials to return to the U.S. to appear at an arraignment.

Two former Democratic staffers, Imran Awan and his wife Hina Alvi, both face charges of conspiracy and bank fraud. Alvi who has a warrant for her arrest, struck a deal with prosecutors that would allow her to return to the U.S. for a mandatory court date in October, according to new court documents.

“Because the Court has already scheduled defendant Awan’s continued status hearing for October 6, 2017, at 9:15 am, the government respectfully requests that the Court also summon defendant Alvi to appear for her arraignment on that date and time, or at the earliest available date for the Court thereafter,” the document reads.

The FBI arrested Awan after he wired nearly $300,000 to Pakistan and misrepresented the purpose. He had previously wired money to the country and was frantically liquidating multiple real estate properties on the day he was arrested, The Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group discovered in July.

Alvi moved to Pakistan after learning the family was the subject of a criminal investigation into their work as IT administrators for House Democrats. On the day of Imran’s arrest, the couple accepted a buyer for one house owned by Hina with an asking price of $618,000 (Hawkshead Dr.) and listed another property for sale at $200,000 (Pembrook Village), according to real estate records.

The FBI arrested Awan at Dulles International Airport July 24 as he was preparing to board a flight to Pakistan. When his wife Alvi left the U.S. for Pakistan in March. Federal authorities found more than $12,000 in cash hidden in a suitcase she took to the airport. She withdrew the couple’s three children from their schools and did not intend to return to the U.S., according to the FBI. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: FBI Seized Smashed Hard Drives From Wasserman Schultz IT Aide’s Home)

“Defendants AWAN and ALVI did unlawfully, willfully, and knowingly conspire, combine, confederate, and agree with each other to commit offenses against the United States,” including bank fraud, false statements, and unlawful monetary transactions, the court document alleges.

Awan and Alvi are set to see a judge on Oct. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Editor’s Note:

The Daily Caller, Inc., the Daily Caller News Foundation, and Luke Rosiak have settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Imran Awan, Abid Awan, Jamal Awan, Tina Alvi, and Rao Abbas (“the Plaintiffs”), in the D.C. Superior Court, Awan et al. v. The Daily Caller, Inc. et al., No. 2020 CA 000652 B (D.C. Super.) (“The Lawsuit”).
 
The Plaintiffs filed the Lawsuit in 2020, alleging that they were defamed by statements made by The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak, including statements in Obstruction of Justice, a 2019 book authored by Mr. Rosiak and published by Regnery Publishing, a business of Salem Media Group, Inc., about the Plaintiffs’ work for the U.S. House of Representatives. In response, The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak each denied liability and contested the Plaintiffs’ claims. 
 
None of the Defendants has admitted to any fault as part of this settlement. Nevertheless, The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak recognize that no charges have ever been filed against the Plaintiffs relating to their congressional IT work.

Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.