US politician fires Pakistani-origin IT professional arrested for fraud

Imran Awan, 37, was arrested at the airport outside Washington after buying a ticket to Pakistan

Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz has fired a Pakistani-origin IT worker who was arrested at Dulles International Airport on bank fraud charges while attempting to leave the country, USA Today reported.

Imran Awan, 37, was fired on Tuesday, according to David Damron, spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz, who formerly served as chairperson of the Democratic National Committee.

“Awan previously served as an employee in our office, but his services have been terminated," Damron said in a statement.

Awan was arrested on Monday at the airport outside Washington after buying a ticket to Pakistan with a return flight set for January.



Awan, who lives in Lorton, Virginia was arraigned on Tuesday on charges of bank fraud for allegedly attempting to get a loan from the Congressional Federal Credit Union on a rental property by claiming it as his primary residence.

He pleaded not guilty. His passport was confiscated and he was outfitted with a GPS monitoring device.

Awan's wife, 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 $12,400 in cash. She was allowed to leave for Pakistan.