LAS VEGAS — In a surprising development, the United States government has filed a motion seeking the release of Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant imprisoned for concocting a false narrative involving then-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. This revelation emerged through court documentation presented on Thursday. Smirnov, 44, received a six-year sentence earlier this year in January following his guilty plea in a Los Angeles federal court. His offenses included tax evasion and providing false information to the FBI about an alleged bribery plot, which prosecutors described as an attempt to sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The prosecution was initially led by former Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, who stepped down from his position just before January, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term. Last Thursday, the case was reassigned to a new federal prosecutor, as indicated by court records. Simultaneously, the U.S. government, along with Smirnov’s legal team, filed a joint motion advocating for his release while his conviction is appealed.
In their motion, the government expressed intentions to reassess their “theory of the case.” The document further explains that Smirnov’s release would facilitate essential medical treatment related to his eye health. Detained since February 2024, Smirnov was apprehended at the Las Vegas airport upon returning to the United States from international travel.
A specific date for a hearing regarding this motion had not been set as of Thursday. Smirnov, who holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship, falsely suggested to his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma offered $5 million each to then-Vice President Biden and his son back in 2015.
Prosecutors disclosed that Smirnov’s baseless claim, rooted in his bias against Biden as a presidential hopeful, came to light in 2020. However, investigators ascertained that his interactions with Burisma were solely business-related, beginning in 2017, after Biden’s vice presidency had concluded. Authorities indicated that Smirnov’s deceptive assertion ignited significant controversy within Congress when reemerged during an impeachment inquiry aimed at Biden, who was declared winner in the 2020 election against Trump. The Biden administration dismissed the impeachment efforts as a mere “stunt.”
The same special counsel, Weiss, had previously filed gun and tax charges against Hunter Biden. Although Hunter was expected to receive sentencing in December after a conviction on firearms charges and a guilty plea to tax-related offenses, he received a pardon from his father. President Biden stated his belief that “raw politics has infected this process,” leading to what he considered a “miscarriage of justice.”