A former FBI informant named Alexander Smirnov has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges after being accused of lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s alleged business dealings with a Ukrainian energy company. Smirnov falsely claimed to the FBI that Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm, paid millions in bribes to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden while the former was Vice President and the latter served on the company’s board. Smirnov also faced separate federal tax charges for concealing income.
Under the plea agreement, Smirnov will plead guilty to causing the creation of a false record in a federal investigation and three counts of tax evasion for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022. He could face four to six years in prison, supervised release, and restitution. Smirnov was a longtime FBI informant who provided information used in criminal investigations between 2010 and 2020, but he provided false information about the Bidens in 2020 despite being admonished by his handling agent to provide truthful information.
Smirnov’s claims were debunked by prosecutors, who found that his interactions with Burisma executives occurred after Joe Biden’s term as Vice President and after the Ukrainian Prosecutor General involved in the alleged bribery had been fired. Smirnov’s allegations were central to the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry against the president, and details of his false claims were shared with House Republicans by Sen. Chuck Grassley.
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