Name: Ex-FBI Informant Accused of Lying About the Bidens to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges
Uploaded: 2024-12-12T22:23:12.000Z
Description: A former FBI informant accused of lying about the Biden family will plead guilty to tax evasion and providing false information to federal investigators, according to court papers.

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A former FBI informant accused of lying about the Biden family will plead guilty to tax evasion and providing false information to federal investigators, according to court papers.

In signing a plea deal on Dec. 10, Alexander Smirnov admitted to fabricating allegations that President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, took bribes from Ukrainian energy executives as part of an influence-peddling scheme.

According to the Dec. 12 <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.915063/gov.uscourts.cacd.915063.195.0_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">filing</a>, Smirnov will plead guilty to one count of creating a false or fictitious record in a federal investigation and three counts of <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/ex-fbi-informant-accused-of-lying-about-the-bidens-faces-tax-charges-5766973">tax evasion</a> on more than $2 million in income for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Smirnov also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for the taxes he owed. In return, all other charges against the Russian national—including making a false statement and filing false tax returns—will be dropped.

Prosecutors will seek a sentence of four to six years in prison, plus one year of supervised release, a $400 assessment, and $675,502 in restitution.

Smirnov’s claims served as the foundation for an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans into the president. He alleged that executives at Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, bribed then-Vice President Biden and his son, Hunter, who was a Burisma board member, to use their influence to ensure a prosecutor investigating the company was fired. Smirnov made the report in 2020, when the elder Biden was a presidential candidate.

Prosecutors had alleged in court filings that Smirnov had connections to <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/ex-fbi-informant-behind-biden-bribery-probe-had-russian-intelligence-contacts-special-counsel-filing-5592218">Russian intelligence</a> and received information about the Bidens from such sources.

The filings did not attribute the bribery allegations to Russian agents but rather new claims Smirnov reportedly made about the Bidens at a September 2023 meeting with investigators.

Smirnov, who claimed to be involved in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, reportedly told investigators that Russia wanted Ukraine’s help with influencing the United States’ 2024 presidential election. He claimed to have seen footage of Hunter Biden entering a hotel in Kyiv that was under Russian control.

Prosecutors dismissed those <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.915063/gov.uscourts.cacd.915063.11.0_4.pdf">claims</a>, charging that Smirnov was “peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections.”

Smirnov’s plea deal comes two weeks after his indictment in the tax evasion case and less than a month before his false statements trial was slated to begin.

Special counsel David Weiss, who brought the charges against Smirnov, also prosecuted Hunter Biden for <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/ex-fbi-informant-accused-of-lying-about-the-bidens-faces-tax-charges-5766973" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tax evasion</a> and federal firearms offenses. The special counsel secured convictions in both cases, but the president issued a pardon for his son before his sentencing was due.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/ex-fbi-informant-accused-of-lying-about-the-bidens-to-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-5775340">The Epoch Times</a></em>

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Samantha Flom is a reporter for The Epoch Times covering U.S. politics and news. A graduate of Syracuse University, she has a background in journalism and nonprofit communications.
Contact her at samantha.flom@epochtimes.us

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