In February of this year, U.S. Capitol Police launched an investigation targeting five contractors who provide IT services for about 40 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the law enforcement agency confirmed to Fox News in February. These contractors were accused of stealing equipment from congressional members’ offices without their knowledge and committing serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network, according to multiple sources briefed on the investigation. Additionally, unconfirmed reports have been made of a break-in and theft in at least 20 congressional offices that may also involve some of these five contractors.
The Awans were ‘Shared Employees’ meaning that they worked for multiple members of Democratic representatives in congress. It appears that at least some of them had highest level security clearances. It was then identified that the Awans were Pakistani nationals, which seriously raises questions about how they obtained such high level security access. This Awan Brotherhood investigation has serious implications as these contractors had access to congressional members computers and who were on committees that would have been communicating the most sensitive national security information in congress.
Fox News reported that House officials revoked the IT and access privileges of the five contractors and at this point no arrests were made. The report goes on to say:
Fox News is told the contract employees, shared by about 40 House Democratic members, removed hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment from offices, including computers and servers. There also were bookkeeping and inventory irregularities where the employees would purchase equipment at one price, bill the congressional office for another and potentially pocket the difference.
Fox News is told the employees made “unauthorized access” to the House computer system.
Further, there were instances where House information was discovered in an external “cloud” server. The contractors in question reportedly were sending and storing House-related information in that off-site server.
“That violates House rules and it puts the House at risk,” a source familiar with the investigation said.
On March 14th, Fox reported that a high-level House staffer acknowledged that the probe has raised concerns about emails being hacked. Official documents and multiple sources say at least five contractors — including brothers Imran, Jamal and Abid Awan — are the focus of the probe but that as many as six people could be involved. The brothers worked for various members of the House, covering committees relating to intelligence, terrorism and cyber-security, which included the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces of the Armed Services Committee.
According to LegiStorm.com, which tracks congressional pay, the contractors’ Capitol Hill work started in 2004 with at least two making six-figure salaries, including Abid Awan last year earning $166,944, more than twice the average congressional staffer. Their salaries and time were shared among dozens of Democratic members, including former Democratic National Committee Chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. The lawmakers also include members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Potentially exposing the most sensitive secrets in congress.
Despite these generous salaries, the four were involved in multiple suspicious activities including mortgage transfers and a debt-evading bankruptcy. Abid had more than $1 million in debts following a failed business called Cars International that he ran in Falls Church, Va., from November 2009 to September 2010. Business associates said in court documents that Abid had stolen money and vehicles from them. It’s unclear how Abid found time to run an automotive business while working full-time for Congress. He had been on the congressional payroll since 2005. A congressional credit union repossessed two of his personal cars before the business folded.
Hina Alvi, Imran’s wife and one of the contractors, bought two homes in Lorton Virginia in 2008, including one that all the brothers have been associated with at one time. In November 2016, Alvi sold that home to the youngest brother, Jamal, who is only 22 years of age, for $620,000. The transaction capitalized on increasing Washington, D.C., real estate appraisals, netting her $150,000, while almost all the cost was incurred to the bank; Jamal put almost no money down.
Imran is also suspected of stealing money and government equipment.
Crowd-sourced investigation of the Awan Brotherhood has found that the Awans own several houses in the Washington D.C. area (Imran owned 12 himself) as well as numerous shady businesses. Imran Awan was also found to be working for Lightbridge Communications at the same time as working as a contractor for congressional members. Additionally, there are reports that computers and Blackberry phones were found in one of the homes owned by Imran Awan by a renter (9667 Hawkshead Dr Lorton, VA). The laptops and phones were reportedly turned over to the FBI. Lots of unanswered questions surrounding this group.
Why the silence in congress about this potential breech of national security? Why no serious investigations by congress or the media? The House Oversight & Government Reform Committee hasn’t faced a barrage of questions about an investigation with potentially severe national security implications. Media have largely ignored the investigation. Making things even more questionable is the fact the criminal probe is being conducted by the US Capitol Police, not the FBI.
This all happened back in March and we have yet to see it plastered in the headlines of the Main Stream Media. Why aren’t the media asking questions about this? Was data compromised? Was the ‘hacking’ of information during the election related to any of these IT workers?
Above all, how in the world is the investigative agency the Capitol Police? Where is the FBI in this investigation?
Fox Business Network reported, 2 months ago:
3 Overpaid Islamic Spies Caught Stealing Top Secret Data.
Now fired from Congress I.T. department.
Now why would Obama have had them there? pic.twitter.com/482C5xXlc5— MAGA.Wreck’nBall1861 (@avanconia) February 11, 2017
No main stream news since the initial reporting. Why?
In my humble opinion, this is by far the most under-investigated and under-reported scandal of 2017. We have at least three Pakistani nationals, with extremely questionable backgrounds, accused of accessing national security information, stealing government property and money, and potentially funneling that information outside of the secure networks of congress.
