Current:Home > StocksEx-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intelligence contacts, prosecutors say -NextFrontier Finance
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intelligence contacts, prosecutors say
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:08:47
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former FBI informant charged with making up a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company had contacts with officials affiliated with Russian intelligence, prosecutors said in a court paper Tuesday.
Prosecutors revealed the alleged contact as they urged a judge to keep Alexander Smirnov behind bars while he awaits trial. He’s charged with falsely reporting to the FBI in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. The claim has been central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Smirnov is due in court later Tuesday in Las Vegas. He has been in custody at a facility in rural Pahrump, about an hour drive west of Las Vegas, since his arrest last week at the airport while returning from overseas.
Defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement ahead of the hearing that they were asking for Smirnov’s release while he awaits trial “so he can effectively fight the power of the government.”
Prosecutors said that during an interview before his arrest last week, Smirnov admitted that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” about Hunter Biden. They said Smirnov’s contacts with Russian officials were recent and extensive, and said Smirnov had planned to meet with one official during an upcoming overseas trip.
They said Smirnov has had numerous contacts with a person he described as the “son of a former high-ranking government official” and “someone with ties to a particular Russian intelligence service.” They said there is a serious risk that Smirnov could flee overseas to avoid facing trial.
The White House didn’t immediately comment on the claims in Tuesday’s court filing.
Prosecutors say Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, falsely reported to the FBI in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016.
Smirnov in fact had only routine business dealings with the company starting in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after he “expressed bias” against Joe Biden while he was a presidential candidate, prosecutors said in court documents. He is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. The charges were filed in Los Angeles, where he lived for 16 years before relocating to Las Vegas two years ago.
Smirnov’s claims have been central to the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark what is now a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. Democrats called for an end to the probe after the indictment came down last week, while Republicans distanced the inquiry from Smirnov’s claims and said they would continue to “follow the facts.”
Hunter Biden is expected to give a deposition next week.
The Burisma allegations became a flashpoint in Congress as Republicans pursuing investigations of President Biden and his family demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the allegations. They acknowledged they couldn’t confirm if the allegations were true.
veryGood! (39547)
Related
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- 'Serial' case keeps going: An undo turns into a redo in Adnan Syed murder conviction
- Justices promise at least 5 weeks between backlogged executions in South Carolina
- J.Crew's Labor Day Sale Is Too Good To Be True: 85% Off With $8 Tank Tops, $28 Dresses & More
- Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
- Neighbor held in disappearance of couple from California nudist resort. Both believed to be dead
- Donald Trump moves to halt hush money proceedings, sentencing after asking federal court to step in
- Chrysler's great-grandson wants to buy, rebuild Chrysler, Dodge brand; Stellantis responds
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Michigan's Sherrone Moore among college football coaches without a signed contract
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Man charged with killing ex-wife and her boyfriend while his daughter waited in his car
- Family of man killed by SUV on interstate after being shocked by a Taser reaches $5M settlement
- Angelina Jolie Shares Perspective on Relationships After Being “Betrayed a Lot”
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Massachusetts state primaries
- 2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis
- Oregon law rolling back drug decriminalization set to take effect and make possession a crime again
Recommendation
Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
Error messages and lengthy online queues greet fans scrambling to secure Oasis reunion tickets
How many points did Caitlin Clark score today? Fever rookie nets career high in win vs. Sky
Child abuse images removed from AI image-generator training source, researchers say
Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
Deion Sanders after Colorado's close call: 'Ever felt like you won but you didn't win?'
Judge rejects claims that generative AI tanked political conspiracy case against Fugees rapper Pras
Oklahoma rodeo company blames tainted feed for killing as many as 70 horses