The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently asked a federal judge to reverse an order releasing former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant Alexander Smirnov from custody.
Smirnov was previously charged with lying about the Biden family. The ex-FBI informant claimed President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, each received $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. He was arrested on Feb. 15, 2024, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.
BREAKING: Biden DOJ arrests former FBI informant who said Biden took bribes from Ukrainian energy company
Alexander Smirnov, 43, was arrested on Thursday at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.https://t.co/YHpXEWCqll
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 16, 2024
Smirnov’s indictment alleges that the information he provided to the FBI “was a fabrication, an amalgam of otherwise unremarkable business meetings and contacts that had actually occurred but at a later date than he claimed and for the purpose of pitching Burisma on the Defendant’s services and products, not for discussing bribes to [Joe Biden] when he was in office.”
Federal prosecutors asked a federal judge to reverse a previous order releasing the former FBI informant from detainment.
“As discussed in more detail below, the nature and circumstances of the offense, weight of the evidence, and the fact that Smirnov’s ties to the community are weak establish that Smirnov should be detained,” prosecutors said, according to court documents filed in California’s Central District.
Smirnov was released from custody following an order by Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts in Nevada. The judge forced the ex-FBI informant to wear an electronic global positioning system (GPS) monitor.
The Biden administration argued that Smirnov, an Israeli citizen, is a flight risk because he planned to travel outside of the U.S. to meet with “multiple foreign intelligence agencies,” adding that he also obtained information from Russian intelligence.
The DOJ accused the ex-FBI informant of lying about his assets, claiming he had more than $6 million in liquid funds, allowing him to “live comfortably overseas.”
“The fact that Smirnov misrepresented his assets alone should cause Smirnov to be detained because it shows that, at the first opportunity, he did not provide true and complete information to Pretrial Services,” prosecutors wrote. “No condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the appearance of the Smirnov as required.”
Smirnov’s arrest comes as Hunter is scheduled to attend a private deposition with House Republicans.
