Los Angeles — Former FBI informant accused of lying to investigators President Biden and his son Hunter were ordered held in custody pending trial in a Los Angeles court on Monday, days after their release in Nevada over their business dealings.
Alexander Smirnov was indicted Two counts of fabricating false stories about the Bidens — that they were each paid $5 million by a Ukrainian energy company — and passing that false information on to FBI agents for further investigation in 2020. This is due to what I did. Special Counsel David Weiss, the U.S. attorney appointed by President Trump and elevated to continue the investigation into Hunter Biden, sought charges against him earlier this month.
Last week, a Las Vegas magistrate ruled that Mr. Smirnov, 43, could be granted safe pretrial freedom under certain conditions, despite his alleged ties to foreign intelligence and the risk of fleeing the country. was temporarily released from federal custody after But on Thursday, Mr. Smirnov was asked by prosecutors to reconsider his release order, returned to federal custody and ordered to appear before a federal judge in Los Angeles overseeing his case.
In court on Monday, prosecutors successfully argued that the judge should continue to detain Mr. Smirnov, arguing that “he cannot be trusted.”
Smirnov, who was wearing a beige jumpsuit and shackles, has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
“There is nothing strange about this case,” the judge said from the courtroom. “I feel no comfort in your assurance that you will not flee the jurisdiction.”
In a notable move, Wright last week said in his initial order ordering Smirnov's detention that his attorneys “are likely to facilitate Smirnov's flight from the United States and are not arranging for his release.” ” Defense attorneys pushed back on these claims, telling the judge they were “wrong.”
Smirnov's lawyers argued against detention, writing last week that his personal relationships in the United States reduced his risk of fleeing the country and that his lack of criminal history supported his release.
“At the time of his second arrest, Mr. Smirnov had already been released and was practicing his defense at a law firm,” the defense team wrote, “which means he was preparing to post bail and flee. On the contrary, if he had not been rearrested, Mr. Smirnov would have voluntarily traveled to Los Angeles with his lawyer to attend his next hearing. ”
At Monday's court hearing, his lawyers pointed out that Mr. Smirnov's longtime partner could become a third-party guardian. Prosecutors countered that they didn't know they had savings accounts with about $3 million in them and couldn't trust them.
In seeking Smirnov's detention, the special counsel team alleges that after Smirnov's arrest, the defendant was involved in an effort by individuals “associated with Russian intelligence” to spread stories about Hunter Biden. revealed that he had done so.
Prosecutors last week did not say what allegations about Hunter Biden clearly originated from Russia, but instead said, “Mr. They are actively spreading new potential lies.”
“Law enforcement agencies are aware of Mr. Smirnov's contacts with Russian intelligence officials because Mr. Smirnov himself reported these contacts to his FBI handlers,” the special counsel team argued. “These contacts were extensive and very recent, and Smirnov intended to meet with one of these officials on an upcoming trip abroad.”
But it wasn't just Russia. Investigators said the man falsely indicted also had contacts with other foreign intelligence agencies and claimed he posed a risk if granted pretrial release.
Prosecutors did not say whether Mr. Smirnov's claims about alleged ties to Russian intelligence were substantiated, saying that Mr. Smirnov had been used as an informant for years but was ultimately determined to be unreliable. It says that he was arrested and prosecuted.
The false story Mr. Smirnov allegedly provided to FBI agents, memorialized in federal documents, became a flashpoint for Republican congressional leaders investigating the first family's business dealings. They pointed to the bribery allegations in the document as evidence of wrongdoing, but the accusations against Mr. Smirnov blunted their claims because the former informant was accused of “transformation.”[ing] In 2017, he had routine and unusual business contacts with Burisma, which subsequently led to allegations of bribery against Hunter and Biden.
His claims are not cited in either of Weiss' two indictments against the president's son, who is charged with gun crimes and failing to pay taxes in federal courts in Delaware and California. Nevertheless, Hunter Biden's lawyers cited Mr. Smirnov's ties to the FBI in a court filing last week to strengthen their case.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to all counts against him and has filed numerous motions to dismiss both charges.