Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A former FBI informant charged with lying about US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, according to court documents released Thursday. Alexander Smirnov, 44, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of providing false information in a federal investigation and tax evasion, according to the filing with a district court in California. The Russian-born Smirnov, a dual US-Israeli citizen, faces between four and six years in prison under the terms of the plea agreement. Sentencing is to take place next year. The plea agreement is subject to approval by a federal judge.
Smirnov was indicted for fabricating claims that Ukrainian energy firm Burisma had paid millions of dollars in bribes to Hunter Biden, who was on the Burisma board, and his father, who was the vice president to Barack Obama at the time, to protect it from a criminal investigation. “The events Defendant first reported to the (FBI) Handler in June 2020 were fabrications,” according to the plea deal filing. “When he was interviewed by FBI agents in September 2023, Defendant repeated some of his false claims, changed his story as to other of his claims, and promoted a new false narrative,” it said.
Congressional Republicans seeking to impeach Biden had touted Smirnov’s statements as evidence that the Biden family was collectively involved in a criminal enterprise. The impeachment effort in the House of Representatives turned up nothing to substantiate the allegations, however, and ground to a halt. Hunter Biden was convicted of gun and tax charges earlier this year and pardoned by his father.
© 2024 AFP
