Ex-IT staffer for Democrats to return to U.S., face charges

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A former IT staffer for U.S. House Democrats will return from Pakistan to join her husband in facing federal bank fraud charges, under a deal with prosecutors.

Hina Alvi has agreed to surrender her passport upon returning from her native Pakistan, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Caller and posted online filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors say Alvi fled from the U.S. with her children, while she and husband Imran Awan were under a federal investigation.

Alvi and Awan worked in IT for House Democrats. Awan worked for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., when she was chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Alvi's arraignment could come on Oct. 6, according to filings with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Awan, who has pleaded not guilty, is also set to appear in court that day.

Awan was arrested in July at Dulles airport in Virginia while attempting to board a plane to Pakistan.

A grand jury returned an indictment of four charges against the couple.

In separate allegations, prosecutors claim Awan and his wife engaged in a conspiracy to obtain $285,000 in home equity lines of credit from the Congressional Federal Credit Union by giving false information about two rental properties and sent the money to individuals in Pakistan. They eventually repaid one loan, prosecutors say, but didn't repay $165,000 from the second.

The Congressional Federal Credit Union, which is available to members of Congress and their staff, does not permit individuals to take loans against rental properties that are not the recipient's primary residence.

Wasserman Schultz kept Awan on staff until his arrest despite being notified by prosecutors of the investigation, and instead changed his job duties to avoid working as a network administrator. Other House members quickly fired Awan in February.

The charges are unrelated to the couple's IT duties.