A former FBI informant charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme between a Ukrainian energy company and the Bidens had contacts with Russian intelligence officials, prosecutors said Tuesday. .
Prosecutors said in a court filing that Alexander Smirnov admitted in an interview before his arrest last week that “Russian intelligence officials were involved” in connection with the president’s son Hunter Biden. . They said Mr. Smirnov’s contacts with Russian officials were recent and extensive, and that Mr. Smirnov was scheduled to meet with one official during an upcoming trip abroad.
They said Mr. Smirnov had numerous contacts with what they described as the “son of a former government official” and “persons connected to certain Russian intelligence services.” They said there was a significant risk that Mr Smirnov would flee abroad to avoid trial.
Prosecutors disclosed the contact charges after urging a judge to keep Smirnov in prison while he awaits trial.
Former employee says Hunter Biden received $100,000 a month through Chinese venture
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, leaves a meeting of the House Oversight Committee at the Capitol on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
In June 2020, Smirnov, who holds dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, falsely claimed that executives related to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. He is accused of filing a report with the FBI.
Prosecutors said Smirnov had only had routine business with the company since 2017 and committed bribery after “expressing bias” against Joe Biden when he was a presidential candidate. That’s what it means. Special Counsel David Weiss said Smirnov’s lies were aimed at influencing the 2024 presidential election.
Smirnov is charged with making false statements and creating false and fictitious records. He was charged in Los Angeles, where he lived for 16 years before moving to Las Vegas two years ago.
Smirnov was scheduled to appear in court later Tuesday in Las Vegas. He has been held at a facility in rural Pahrump, about an hour’s drive west of Las Vegas, since he was arrested last week at the airport while returning from overseas.
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden has reportedly told the nation he may have to “flee” the country if Trump wins in 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregutz allowed Smirnov to be released from custody with electronic GPS monitoring while awaiting trial. He must remain in Clark County, Nevada, and is prohibited from applying for a new passport.
Before his arrest, Mr. Smirnov had planned to leave the United States for a multi-month trip that included meetings with foreign intelligence and government officials, prosecutors said. –He himself admitted it.
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schoenfeld said Smirnov should be released while awaiting trial “so he can effectively fight government power.” was making a point.
Mr. Smirnov’s allegations are at the center of congressional Republicans’ efforts to investigate the president and his family, and were the catalyst for Mr. Biden’s impeachment inquiry currently underway in the House of Representatives. Democrats called for an end to the investigation following last week’s indictment, but Republicans distanced it from Smirnov’s claims and said they would continue to “follow the facts.”
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Hunter Biden is scheduled to take a deposition next week.
The Burisma scandal became a flashpoint in Congress as Republicans pursuing an investigation into President Biden and his family demanded that the FBI release unredacted documents documenting the allegations. They acknowledged that they could not confirm whether the allegations were true.
Fox News’ David Spunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
