Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Imran Awan Demonstrates Need for Better House IT Procedures (Will the perp get away with it?)
Capital Research ^ | 9/21/18 | Harry Kazenoff

Posted on 09/23/2018 2:22:11 PM PDT by Libloather

**SNIP**

In March 2016, the House Inspector General’s Office revealed that Awan bought almost $38,000 in equipment, paid for in installments below $500, apparently to avoid having the equipment logged in the House of Representatives’ inventory. Many of the items were delivered directly to his home. (This itself is not an unusual practice because deliveries to the Capitol building require extra security screenings.)

This behavior led the House Sergeant-at-Arms to tell Representatives five months later that they believed this was a case of possible procurement fraud.

By October, the Inspector General’s Office had discovered Awan and his family logged into a Democratic Caucus server over 5,700 times throughout the year. This is a serious violation of House IT policy since only one person—Awan’s wife—had authorization to access the server. This was when Capitol Police and the FBI took control of the investigation. Awan and his family lost access to the House of Representatives’ computer networks in February 2017, and they were eventually fired by the majority of their Democratic clients, except for Wasserman Schultz.

(Excerpt) Read more at capitalresearch.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 201702; 201707; awan; capitolpolice; dws; fbi; house; it; itgate; wasserman
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-24 next last
But why? Not only did Representative Wasserman Schultz keep employing Awan after he lost access to the House network, but she also waited until July 2017—after the Capitol Police arrested him—to fire him.

I bet Hillary knows.

1 posted on 09/23/2018 2:22:11 PM PDT by Libloather
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Hasn’t he come to a plea deal where he serves NO TIME??


2 posted on 09/23/2018 2:27:06 PM PDT by originalbuckeye ('In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act'- George Orwell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

Well he already got away with it. This guy was their IT guy with full admin rights. For those not in IT it means he full access to A LOT. E-Mail, Home directories, local files of House Members a lot. The rats waived normal background checks and gave him the keys.


3 posted on 09/23/2018 2:32:17 PM PDT by gibsonguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

I am more worried about DWS getting away with it.


4 posted on 09/23/2018 2:35:16 PM PDT by North Coast Conservative (MAGA It's time to start playing cowboys,muslims, and leftists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Has it been determined who the Awan brothers were connected - who did they relay confidential information to which they had access? - and for how long? - and what it was they passed on to their masters?? Was there even an investigation??


5 posted on 09/23/2018 2:36:05 PM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said theoal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
Most taxpayers struggle to make a living and do not have much free time for other things.

But Imran was a US govt employee working exclusively for House Democrats who apparently never kept track of his comings and goings.

US govt employee Imran found plenty of time (and mucho tax dollars--IT salaries alone amounted to millions) to pursue his private money-making interests:

<><> Virginia lists him as a real estate broker; he affirmed he spends 40 hours a week as a broker;

<><> he owned 12-or so houses....

<><> he rented out some of these homes....

<><> he ran a car dealership....

<><> he ran an export company to Pakistan

<><> he had a computer systems sales company (selling stolen govt gear?)

<><> Imran ran a Blackberry cell phone “repair” operation.

Imran's thirst for money was unquenchable. He falsified apps to get several home loans from the Congressional Credit Union.

He got the Congressional credit union to wire-transfer monies abroad.

===================================

A Strange Tale: the Congressional Federal Credit Union and Democrats' IT spies
SOME RESEARCH PROVIDED BY ANDREW McCARTHY (sarcasm provided by poster):

Bank fraud was the stated charge on which Debbie Wassermann Schultz's IT aide, Imran Awan, was arrested at Dulles Airport, as he was fleeing the United States for Pakistan, via Qatar.......the same route taken by his wife, Hina Alvi, in March, when she suddenly fled, with $12,400 in cash (NOTE: it is against the law to take more than $10,000 out of the US without declaring it.).

By the time of Imran's arrest, the proceeds of his fraudulent $165,000 "loan" from the Congressional Federal Credit Union had been wired to Pakistan.... part of a $283,000 transfer that Awan managed to wire from Capitol Hill.

The conniving Imran pulled it off by pretending to be his wife in a phone call to Capitol Hill's true believers---the Congressional Federal Credit Union. Told that his proffered reason for the transfer (“funeral arrangements”) wouldn’t fly, “Mrs.” Awan promptly regrouped: Now “she” was “buying property.”

Asking no more questions, the compliant Congressional Federal Credit Union wired the money......to Pakistan. One assumes the trusting Congressional Federal Credit Union had every expectation of getting repaid (cue laugh machine here).

6 posted on 09/23/2018 2:53:31 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: All
The Awans had access to ALL the House Democrats Congressional data including Democrats' constituent emails.

The Pakis were using Cong Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus as their central service warehouse.

Crucial data was completely out of the House members’ possession. Was it sold off to America's enemies?

==============================================

Then-Cong Becerra headed the House Congressional Democrat Caucus. Becerra gave the Paki spies free reign over all US intel.

<><> Imran’s wife Hina Alvi, the only IT authorized to use Becerra's computer equipment, is on-record as logging on about 300 times.

<><> The rest of the Awan crew were accessing intel on Becerra's computer thousands of times using Becerra's passwords and codes.

This clearly shows the Pakis were operating as a cohesive, collusive undercover unit.

Becerra was looking the other way.

===================================

Becerra---now Cali's top lawman----refuses to answer questions about this. According to the House investigative report:

<><>The Awan family was logging in to Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus server with 17 different accounts

<><> The Awans' were accessing data belonging to Congressional offices that had no connection to the the Democrat Caucus,

<><> These patterns were consistent with data being funneled onto Becerra’s server from other members of Congress,

<><> House members said Becerra never alerted them to any aberrations.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...

7 posted on 09/23/2018 2:54:16 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: All

CONTACT CONGRESS: Capitol Switchboard 1-866-220-0044

Call President Trump: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414

FBI TIPS PAGE-——https://tips.fbi.gov


TALKING POINTS-—The credit union employee/bank officer) that approved Imran’s loan and wire-transfers need looking into.
They had to know that was a farce. and one assumes Cong Debbie had to sign off on any financial transactions of her employee.


Congressional Federal Credit Union
PO Box 23267
Washington, DC 20026-3267

Local tele 703.934.8300
Toll Free: 800.491.2328
From Capitol Hill 6.3100
Email Email@CongressionalFCU.org

WEB SITE
https://www.congressionalfcu.org/about/about-us/about-congressional-federal


8 posted on 09/23/2018 2:55:13 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: All

Then-Cong Becerra headed the House Congressional Democrat Caucus. Becerra gave the Paki spies free reign over all US intel.

<><> The Awans had access to all the Democrats Congressional data including Democrats emails. Imran Awan is the walking example of an insider threat, a criminal actor who had access to everything.” “They were using Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus as their central service warehouse. The data was completely out of the members’ possession. Does it mean it was sold to the Russians?

<><> Imran’s wife Hina Alvi was the only IT officially authorized to use Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus computer equipment. She is on record as logging on about 300 times......as the rest of the Awan crew were accessing intel on Becerra’s computer thousands of times using Becerra’s passwords and codes. Becerra was looking the other way (snort). Becerra-—now Cali’s top lawman——refuses to answer questions about this.

<><>The Awan family was logging in to Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus server with 17 different accounts belonging to Congressional offices whose data should have had no connection to the caucus, according to the House investigative report. The patterns were consistent with data being funneled onto Becerra’s server from other members of Congress, but the members said Becerra never alerted them of any aberrations. (Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...


AND THIS-——During Sept 2016, The Awan clan continued to use Cong Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus computers in anomalous ways:
<><> logging on as “system administrators”
<><> changing identities
<><> logging onto Cong Becerra’s server using 17 different user account credentials
<><> some credentials belonged to Democrat House members
<><> the Awans did not work for 9 of the 17 offices to which user accounts belonged.
<><> investigations found “possible storage of sensitive House information” outside the House
<><> Dropbox is installed on two Democratic Caucus computers used by the suspects
<><> user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer
<><> Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
<><> Wash/Po reported “Based on the file names, some of the information is likely sensitive.”
<><> post-awan clean up discovered many computer set-ups were little more than “thin clients”
<><> computer set-ups were portals to an outside computer.
<><> Awans were using terminal servers from a computer in a different location.
<><>Virtual Private Networks can make a server’s hard drive appear to be local to a computer.
<><> remote sessions remained active for months at a time.
<><> data was always out of the members’ possession
<><> the Awans were using Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus as their central service warehouse.
<><> the Awans collectively logged onto Becerra’s Caucus system 5,735 times, avg 27 per day
<><> other offices were accessed less than 60 times.
<><> the pattern of login activity suggests steps were taken to conceal their activity
<><>aggregating multiple members’ data means all that data was absconded with
<><> L/E said Becerra’s entire Democratic Caucus server physically disappeared while being monitored by L/E.
<><> no scenario exists where the Awan clan’s access was appropriate
<><> House members are not allowed to accept services from people not on their payroll
<><> House employees are not permitted to log in to servers of members for whom they do not work.
<><> House policies are codified by law.


9 posted on 09/23/2018 2:58:11 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
ORGANIZED CRIME ON CAPITOL HILL.... DEMOCRATS take the "Oath of Omerta."

NY Democrat---Cong Yvette Clarke and friend on AF One.

Yvette Clarke describes herself as a "Queen of the Caribbean;"
She belongs to the Congressional Caribbean Caucus.
Clarke made friends quickly, what with her knowledge of secret offshore banking havens in the Caribbean.

HOW THE IT SCAM WAS RIGGED FOR PROFIT----Democrat NY Cong Yvette Clarke's office approved a $120,000 "write-off" of tax-paid tech Equipment Linked To the Awan clan (made the tax dollars and the equipment disappear).The missing govt-issue tax-paid devices included many iPhones and iPads. At $800 each, Cong Yvette Clarke's $120,000 write-off would force taxpayers to pay for 150 electronic items for her staff of 16......that's about 10 iPhones and iPads each.

Democrat Cong Yvette Clarke's tax-paid payroll records indicate she has 16 employees......why did Cong Clarke need so many electronics for that small staff? She was also oblivious to the fact that all that expensive govt-paid equipment she ordered was delivered to Imran's house.

According to ace reporting by the Daily Caller, Cong Clarke's office casually signed off on what appears to be a theft ring operating inside the Democrat Congressional Caucus then-headed by Cong Becerra.The facts suggest the Awan gang was running the oldest of scams......selling computer gear out the back door after first reporting it stolen to authorities. (hat tip The Daily Caller).

NOTE: Democrat Clarke is only one employer audited, so far. Patterns of theft in other Democrat offices have yet to be investigated.

===============================

EXCERPT....then-Democrat Cong Becerra never publicly acknowledged nor demanded consequences for the cyber breach on his House Democratic Caucus server (similar in nature to the DNC)......and eighteen months later, no one has been charged....not surprising since the elected Democrats don’t appear to be asking for it......

This is a huge red flag. This is organized crime on Capitol Hill.

Democrats have apparently taken the "Oath of Omerta."

10 posted on 09/23/2018 3:00:34 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

IN NEWLY OBTAINED MEMO, CONGRESS’S TOP COP SAID HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS SERVER VANISHED
The Daily Caller ^ | 07/02/2018 | Luke Rosiak, Investigative Reporter
FR Posted by Yosemitest

A secret memo marked “URGENT” detailed how the House Democratic Caucus’s server went “missing” soon after it became evidence in a cybersecurity probe.
The secret memo also said more than “40 House offices may have been victims of IT security violations.”

In the memo, Congress’s top law enforcement official, Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, along with Chief Administrative Officer Phil Kiko, wrote,
“We have concluded that the employees [Democratic systems administrator Imran Awan and his family] are an ongoing and serious risk to the House of Representatives, possibly threatening the integrity of our information systems and thereby members’ capacity to serve constituents.”
The memo, addressed to the Committee on House Administration (CHA) and dated Feb. 3, 2017, was recently reviewed and transcribed by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The letter bolsters TheDCNF’s previous reporting about the missing server and evidence of fraud on Capitol Hill.

It details how the caucus server, run by then-caucus Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra, was secretly copied by authorities after the House Inspector General (IG) identified suspicious activity on it, but the Awans’ physical access was not blocked.

But after, the report reads, the server appears to have been secretly replaced with one that looked similar.

The memo called for firing the Pakistani-born aides, revoking all their computer accounts, and changing the locks on any door they had access to.

Rep. Louie Gohmert — a Texas Republican on the House Committee on the Judiciary who has done oversight work on the case — said the missing server contained copies of Congress members’ emails.

“They put 40 members of Congress’s data on one server …
That server, with that serial number, has disappeared,” he said.

Multiple sources connected to the investigation told TheDCNF that shortly after an IG report came out identifying the House Democratic Caucus server as key evidence in a criminal probe, the evidence was stolen.

“They [the Awans] deliberately turned over a fake server” to falsify evidence, one official close to the CHA alleged.
“It was a breach.
The data was completely out of [members’] possession.”
The six-page letter says:

• In September of 2016 … the CHA and [IG] briefed the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus about suspicious activity related to their server that the [IG] identified.
As a result, the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus directed the CAO to copy the data from their server and two computers.

• The CHA directed the IG to refer the matter to the US Capitol Police.
The USCP initiated an investigation that continues to this day.

• In late 2016, the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus announced his intention to resign from Congress to assume a new position.

The CAO and [sergeant-at-arms] worked with the Chairman to account for his inventory, including the one server.

• While reviewing the inventory, the CAO discovered that the serial number of the server did not match that of the one imaged in September.

[Investigators] also discovered that the server in question [the replacement server] was still operating under the employee’s control, contrary to the explicit instructions of the former chairman to turn over all equipment and fully cooperate with the inquiry and investigation.
[A House source said the “employee” was Abid Awan.]

• The USCP interviewed relevant staff regarding the missing server.

• On January 24, 2017, the CAO acquired the [replacement] server from the control of the employees and transferred that server to the USCP.

President Donald Trump referenced the Democratic Caucus’ missing server in a tweet.

But because the letter to the CHA was kept secret, many news outlets have not grasped that the House’s top cop documented a “missing server” connected to the Democratic Caucus.

The timeline laid out in the letter also shows that Becerra — now California’s Democratic attorney general — failed to ensure that the Awans didn’t have access to House computer systems during the 2016 election, which was wrought with cybersecurity scandals.

An IG presentation from September 2016 shows that Becerra knew of problems months before the server disappeared.

“The Caucus Chief of Staff requested one of the shared employees to not provide IT services or access their computers,” it read.

“This shared employee continued.”It’s unclear why that request was not granted or why it was a request rather than an order.

A House official close to the probe said the employee was Abid, who was not on Becerra or the Caucus’s payroll.
The official said Becerra Chief of Staff Sean McCluskie apparently knew Abid was accessing Caucus servers.
According to payroll records, Abid’s sister-in-law, Hina Alvi, was the Caucus’ systems administrator.

The Awans’ continued physical access to Becerra’s equipment after red flags emerged enabled the server to disappear after it became evidence, House officials close to the investigation told TheDCNF.

(RELATED LINK : Becerra Tried To Block Awan From House Democratic Caucus Server, But Logins Continued; He Didn’t Go To Cops) AG Becerra has refused to comment, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

The February 2017 memo itemizes “numerous and egregious violations of House IT security” by members of the Awan family, including using Congress members’ usernames and “the unauthorized storage of sensitive House information outside the House.”

“These employees accessed user accounts and computers for offices that did not employ them, without the knowledge and permission of the impacted Member’s office,” it said,
adding, “4 of the employees accessed the Democratic Caucus computers 5,735 times.”More than 100 office computers were open to access from people not on the office’s staff, it said.

Chris Gowen — a former aide to Hillary Clinton who is now serving as Imran’s attorney — told TheDCNF, “There is no missing server and never was.”

He didn’t provide any support for his claim, which is contrary to evidence Kiko and Irving presented to Congress.

The memo said the CHA possesses voluminous evidence, including, “Interview notes with House Members’ Chiefs of Staff,” and “Logon activity and computer access logs.”
Prosecutors have not brought charges.

The Awans were banned from Congress’s computer network the day the letter was sent, and Kiko held a briefing to convey the message to chiefs of staff for members who employed them.

But Democrats claim they were never told about any of the cybersecurity issues itemized in the urgent memo.
Rep. Jackie Speier — a California Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who employed Imran and his wife, Hina Alvi — said she never heard of any missing server.

Joaquin Castro of Texas — another Democratic intelligence committee member who employed one of the Awans — told TheDCNF that Kiko never told him of any cybersecurity issues whatsoever and that the Awan probe was instead described as a theft issue.

Indeed, the CHA issued only one public statement on the case and titled it the “House Theft Investigation”— wording that avoids cybersecurity words while political news coverage raged about other cybersecurity issues in the 2016 election.

Yet even the alleged theft has not resulted in criminal charges — even though the letter also says House authorities have “purchase orders and vouchers” that allegedly show procurement fraud, as well as testimony from a Democratic chief of staff to Rep. Yvette Clarke, who warned of procurement fraud.

The FBI arrested Imran at the airport in July 2017 for alleged bank fraud that occurred six months prior, and Democrats have since claimed that the case is about nothing but bank fraud. Bank fraud does not explain why the Awans were kicked off the House network concurrent with the urgent memo, which did not cite bank fraud.

A Democratic IT aide who alleged that Imran solicited a bribe from him told TheDCNF he believes members of Congress are playing dumb and covering the matter up. Wendy Anderson, a former chief of staff to New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, told House investigators that she suspected that her predecessor, Shelley Davis, was working with Abid on a theft scheme, but Clarke refused to fire Abid until outside investigators got involved, TheDCNF reported. Eighteen months after the evidence was recounted in the urgent memo, prosecution appears to have stalled for reasons not publicly explained.

Cong Gohmert said the FBI has refused to accept evidence demonstrating alleged House misconduct, and some witnesses with first-hand knowledge say the bureau has not interviewed them.


11 posted on 09/23/2018 3:06:53 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: North Coast Conservative

imho, this is a BIG cover up that may have a lot of dirt about the ‘lost’/destroyed emails and, possibly, a lot more. But, the media didn’t pay much attention and, again imho, DWS and most other Democrats are not held to account.


12 posted on 09/23/2018 3:22:03 PM PDT by 4integrity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: North Coast Conservative

imho, this is a BIG cover up that may have a lot of dirt about the ‘lost’/destroyed emails and, possibly, a lot more. But, the media didn’t pay much attention and, again imho, DWS and most other Democrats are not held to account.


13 posted on 09/23/2018 3:22:06 PM PDT by 4integrity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: 4integrity

sorry for dup post.


14 posted on 09/23/2018 3:23:37 PM PDT by 4integrity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

He already did get away with it, that and every other criminal act he perpetrated.


15 posted on 09/23/2018 3:25:49 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Liz
Why isn't the FBI investigating all of this criminality?
Oh that's right. The FBI is obsessed with the Trump 2016 campaign. And the DOJ is yawning about it all. Apparently the USA
has no domestic counter-intelligence interests. Only Trump
his friends or Republicans draw the attention of the FBI these days.
16 posted on 09/23/2018 3:27:55 PM PDT by StormEye
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: elpadre
"Has it been determined who the Awan brothers were connected..."

It is known that Imwan Awan would access the House servers from Pakistan while he was over there on visits. If there was any info as to who he passed the info to, it was either found, and ignored, or never even investigated. The House Democratic Caucus's server was supposedly replaced by one that looked similar, and the original one disappeared. This case was lost from the start. No Congressional Democrat would cooperate with authorities during the investigation by the Capitol Police. And it was allowed to fall by the wayside.

17 posted on 09/23/2018 3:31:42 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: originalbuckeye

I’m betting he pled guilty to the fraud charges in order to get them to stop any further investigation into the IT scandal.


18 posted on 09/23/2018 3:32:35 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

I trust some of the 51k indictments are some involved with this treason.


19 posted on 09/23/2018 3:46:26 PM PDT by CincyRichieRich (17...#1776)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
While Awan may no longer work within the House of Representatives, his lawyer has said Awan may try to work in Silicon Valley.

With his record, who in Silicon Valley would hire him?

20 posted on 09/23/2018 4:25:33 PM PDT by upchuck (... I'd be toast in the next primary if I openly challenged my party's orthodoxy ~ CongressmanX)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-24 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson