The Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks prison time for Amy Harris, the woman who stole the president’s daughter Ashley Biden’s diary and sold it for tens of thousands of dollars to conservative media site Project Veritas before the 2020 presidential election. ing.
According to the Justice Department, in September 2020, Harris briefly resided at Ashley Biden’s residence in Delray Beach, Florida, where he had his tax records, cell phone, family photos and other documents “including extremely personal descriptions.” I stole her diary. Harris asked the defendant, Robert Kurlander, to help her sell the materials she had collected.
New York-based Project Veritas paid Harris and Kurlander $20,000 each for the diary and other materials it obtained upon their return to Florida. Project Veritas is a controversial media outlet known for its undercover operations, in which staff members infiltrate sources to uncover the truth behind the headlines.
In November, the Justice Department raided two locations associated with Project Veritas and the organization’s founder, James O’Keefe.
Project Veritas did not publish the diary, but another website did. O’Keefe said he received the diary from tipsters who found it left in a hotel room, but said he did not publish it because he could not confirm its authenticity.
in Tuesday’s letter Federal prosecutors asked Judge Laura Swain to sentence Harris to four to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Prosecutors had previously asked for six months of home confinement followed by three years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors said in a letter that the revised sentencing recommendation comes after Harris postponed the sentencing hearing 12 times for reasons prosecutors deemed insufficient. . Harris’ initial sentencing was scheduled for December 6, 2022.
Prosecutors said Harris sometimes made excuses that later turned out to be false, such as not being able to find child care. In one situation, the government later learned that a father who shared custody of the children with Mr. Harris was available to care for them on the particular day in question for which Mr. Harris was ordered to appear. Ta.
Prosecutors also expressed frustration that Harris was unable to secure valid identification, which they knew was necessary for the trip. At another point, she said she was sick, but she was unable to produce medical records requested by the court.
The defendant misleads the court with false information to justify a late and unreasonable adjournment request, refuses to appear when directed, or fails to comply with a court order to disclose or produce certain information. It has repeatedly and consistently used tactics to unduly delay this process, including . Through this pattern of conduct, the defendant has shown complete disregard for the orders of the court and the orderly conduct of this judicial process.
“Fundamentally, the defendant’s flagrant disregard for the law, including the orders of this court, even after pleading guilty in this case, demonstrates an abdication of responsibility for her actions and strongly warrants a sentence of imprisonment.” ” federal prosecutors wrote in Tuesday’s paper. Letter to the court. “In particular, the defendant has been shown to be completely disobedient to court supervision, and a mere suspended sentence is not sufficient to deter the defendant from continuing to disregard the law.”
“Furthermore, a sentence without incarceration is wholly insufficient to reflect the gravity of the defendant’s conduct, including her apparent belief that she is above the law and need not comply with the orders of this court.” be.”
Prosecutors said the revised sentencing recommendation “sends a message that breaking the law and disobeying court orders while a criminal case is pending is unacceptable and will result in serious consequences.”
A lawyer representing Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Harris and Mr. Kurlander each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interstate transport of property stolen from the immediate family of a former government employee who was running for national office.
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