Four US Congress members from New York City employed the Capitol Hill techies reportedly being probed for equipment theft and possible breaches of the House computer network.
Three of the five IT staffers worked at different times for Reps. Gregory Meeks and Yvette Clarke, and one also worked for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Another was a staffer for Rep. Joseph Crowley, the Queens Democratic Party chairman.
It is not known if the investigation by the US Capitol Police, reported by Politico, involves the theft of classified information.
The IT ring includes three brothers — Imran, Jamal and Abid Awan — and Imran’s wife, Hina Alvi. The fifth, Rao Abbas, is unrelated to the family. All are from Virginia and worked in the four New York Democrats’ offices in Washington, D.C.
Last week, Meeks fired Alvi, telling Politico that the probe was interfering with the daily routine of his office.
The lawmaker, once dubbed one of “the most corrupt members of Congress” by a government watchdog, said he had not seen any evidence of wrongdoing by Alvi or the others. He said they may have been falsely targeted because they are Muslims, some with ties to Pakistan.
Alvi, 32, had worked for Meeks since 2008, and last year made $126,225, public records show. Her husband and brother-in-law were previous Meeks’ staffers.
The group divided their services among members of Congress, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Florida Democrat and former head of the Democratic National Committee.
A Virginia-based businessman who knows the Awan family said that the oldest brother, 36-year-old Imran Awan, had arranged for the group’s IT jobs on Capitol Hill. He had worked for Congress since 2004, most recently in the offices of Jeffries, and Wasserman Schultz, among others.
In addition, Imran worked for two members of the House Intelligence Committee.
Abid Awan, 32, jumped on the Congressional gravy train in 2005, earning as much as $166,000 a year. Abid’s wife, Nataliia Sova, also worked briefly as a part-time Congressional staffer.
Despite the six-figure taxpayer-funded salary, Abid Awan got into financial trouble, declaring bankruptcy in 2012 on more than $1 million in debts, public records show.
“He was spoiled, and only getting a good salary because of what his brother was doing,” said the businessman, who once ran a used-car lot with Abid in Virginia.
One of Abid’s creditors, Rao Abbas, 37, began working on Capitol Hill in December 2012, months after Abid declared bankruptcy. Abbas started working for Crowley in 2014.
None of the brothers, Alvi or Abbas could be reached for comment.
A Crowley spokeswoman said Abbas spent a few days hooking up computers and the office “opted not to go forward with him in the future.”
A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police would not comment on “the ongoing investigation.”