A former informant for the FBI admitted guilt on Monday for providing false information concerning a fabricated bribery plot related to President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, which has been a significant focus of Republican impeachment inquiries in Congress.
Alexander Smirnov pleaded guilty to a felony charge regarding the false claims, along with a separate charge of tax evasion for allegedly hiding millions in income. Following the proceedings in a federal court in Los Angeles, Smirnov’s attorney chose not to issue any statements.
Both prosecutors and the defense are recommending a prison sentence between four to six years for Smirnov, with sentencing scheduled for next month. He will be given credit for time already served since his arrest in February, which involved claims that he informed his FBI handler about alleged payments of $5 million each to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden by executives of the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma around 2015.
Despite being an informant for over ten years, Smirnov’s sensational allegations about the Bidens came in June 2020, following what prosecutors described as a display of bias against Joe Biden as a candidate. However, court documents indicate that his dealings with Burisma were minimal and only began in 2017. An FBI investigation into these claims recommended closing the case in August 2020.
There has been no evidence to suggest that Joe Biden engaged in any corrupt activities or accepted bribes during his tenure as vice president or while serving as president. Although Smirnov’s identity remained undisclosed until his indictment, his accusations significantly fueled the Republican-led inquiries concerning the president and his family, contributing to the House’s impeachment investigation.
In September 2023, during discussions with investigators, Smirnov posited that there were likely recordings of Hunter Biden held by Russians, claiming the hotel in Ukraine where Hunter had supposedly stayed was “wired” and under Russian control. However, Smirnov’s indictment stated that Hunter Biden had never been to Ukraine.
Smirnov alleged connections to officials within Russian intelligence and indicated to authorities post-arrest that they were involved in circulating a story about Hunter Biden. The case against him was led by special counsel David Weiss, who has also taken legal action against Hunter Biden regarding gun and tax violations. While Hunter was due for sentencing this month following his trial conviction for gun charges and a guilty plea on tax-related matters, he received a pardon from his father, who argued that the legal process had been corrupted by political motives, leading to a “miscarriage of justice.”
