Imran Awan, the former IT aide to congressional Democrats whose federal bank fraud case has drawn the interest of top Republicans, avoided jail time Tuesday after the defense complained about disparaging comments made against the defendant by President Trump and others. During a hearing Tuesday in Washington, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan sentenced Awan to three months of supervised release plus time served. Federal guidelines recommended a sentence of zero to six months in jail, followed by two to five years of supervised release. The case had generated great interest from conservatives, who suggested Awan could have been involved in a cyber breach operation. It’s not the only high-profile bank fraud case with a political connection: a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia is deliberating in the case of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Source: Fox News August 21, 2018 15:56 UTC