US Prosecutors Clear Pakistani American Seemingly Mentioned In Trump Tweet

A Pakistani American IT professional who worked for years for US lawmakers was cleared of allegations that he stole government secrets with the cover from House Democrats, a Washington Post report said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jul, 2018 ) :A Pakistani American IT professional who worked for years for US lawmakers was cleared of allegations that he stole government secrets with the cover from House Democrats, a Washington Post report said on Tuesday.

Imran Awan and four of his associates, including family members, were subject of a Federal investigation that they might be accessing congressional servers without authorization. After the case was surfaced last year, conservative media used it against House Democrats. Imran was apparently the "Pakistani mystery man" that President Trump referred to in his tweet while commenting on the issue.

However, concluding its 18-month investigation, federal prosecutors said that the government had uncovered no evidence that he violated federal law with respect to the House computer systems.

As the federal prosecutors concluded their investigation, as part of an agreement, Awan pleaded guilty to a minor offense of making a false statement on a bank loan application, a crime that was unrelated to the investigation. Prosecutors said they would not recommend jail time, the Washington Post report said.

Those who were subject to the federal investigation including Imran's brothers Abid Awan and Jamal Awan, his wife Hina Alvi and friend Rao Abbas.

A Washington Post report said last year that the investigators of the Inspector General's office had been quietly tracking the five IT workers' digital footprints for months.

Awan and his associates worked as IT specialists for dozens of Democratic lawmakers, but were banned from the computer network in February last year after being accused of violating House security rules.

The investigation that followed was given aggressively covered by conservative media outlets, a term usually used for outlets that support Republican Party's views and policies.

"The case has highlighted Trump's willingness to lobby for specific outcomes of federal criminal investigations and to suggest a coverup by his own Justice Department," the Washington Post report said.

"Trump also attempted to tie Awan to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee server � a breach that intelligence agencies have concluded was directed by Russia," the report added.

The office that conducted the investigation is led by a US attorney general who was nominated by President Trump, according to the report, which said that Awan was released from electronic monitoring and will be free pending his sentencing Aug 21 in the bank loan case.

Bank fraud charges against Awan's wife Hina were dropped by the prosecutors as part of Awan's guilty plea deal. While obtaining a bank loan, Awan had shown a rental property as his wife's Primary residence. The loan was fully repaid.