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Alexander Smirnov (FBI informant)

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Alexander Smirnov (born 1980)[1] is an Israeli-American former informant[2] who was charged with, and eventually pled guilty to, lying to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and creating false records regarding the Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory.[3]

Early life

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Smirnov was born into a Russian-speaking family in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, present-day Ukraine. His family moved to Israel in 1992. By 2010, he was living in the United States in Minnesota. Smirnov lived in California for 16 years and then moved to Las Vegas for two years where he stayed at a luxury condo near the Las Vegas Strip.[4] During this time, he lived with his long-term girlfriend.[5]

Career

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According to the Los Angeles Times, Smirnov became an FBI informant around 2010.[6] During this time, he travelled throughout Europe and also provided information to other American intelligence organizations as well as Israeli intelligence.[2] During the 2020 United States presidential election, he reported to the FBI that officials at Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma had told him that they offered Hunter Biden a seat on their board to protect them. He also stated that the executives told him they paid Hunter Biden and Joe Biden $5 million each.[7] In 2024, he admitted he lied to the FBI about the Biden payments and pled guilty to lying to the FBI.[8]

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American Express sued Smirnov in 2013 after he failed to repay $100,000 of credit card debt. He borrowed $500,000 from Encino-based firm D&D Marketing and was sued in 2015 when he did not repay the loan.[9] He was also sued in 2016 when two men claimed that he had sold them fake stock certificates.[9]

Arrest

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On February 14, 2024, Smirnov was returning to the US from abroad. He was arrested by FBI agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.[10] Smirnov is a dual US-Israeli citizen and had both an Israeli passport and a U.S. passport; both were seized by the FBI.[11][12] On February 15, Smirnov was charged with lying to the FBI.[3] Smirnov faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.[10] On February 20, a United States magistrate judge in Smirnov's home state of Nevada ordered him released with a GPS monitor.[13][14][15][16] However, a federal judge in California had him re-arrested on February 24, on the grounds that his release would be "likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States."[17][6]

In 2020, Smirnov was paid $600,000 by Economic Transformation Technologies (ETT), prosecutors said. That same year, Smirnov began lying to the FBI about the Bidens, according to the indictment. Two of ETT's three owners, Shahal M. Khan and Farooq Arjomand, along with their associate DAMAC Properties chairman Hussain Sajwani are friends of or have done business with Donald Trump.[18]

Prosecutors claim that Smirnov did not disclose to authorities that he and his significant other had access to more than $6 million.[4]

Conviction

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On December 12, 2024, it was reported that Smirnov agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI and to admit that he fabricated the Burisma bribery story about Joe and Hunter Biden.[19][20][21]

Courtroom sketches

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References

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  1. ^ Dorn, Sara. "Who Is Alexander Smirnov? FBI Informant Helped Spark Biden Impeachment Probe—And Could End It". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  2. ^ a b Perez, Evan; Rabinowitz, Hannah. "How a trusted FBI source became the center of a Washington scandal". CNN. Archived from the original on Feb 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Whitehurst, Lindsay; Mascaro, Lisa (February 15, 2024). "FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden's ties to Ukrainian energy company". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "California federal court next for FBI informant re-arrested in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  5. ^ Hamilton, Matt (2024-02-26). "The informant next door: A quiet L.A. life masked Kremlin ties for FBI source accused of lying about Bidens". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  6. ^ a b Hamilton, Matt (2024-02-26). "Ex-FBI informant who allegedly lied about the Bidens will remain behind bars, judge rules". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  7. ^ Bart Jansen (February 26, 2024). "Alexander Smirnov, charged with lying about Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, ordered jailed pending trial". USA Today.
  8. ^ Alanna Durkin, Richer; Ding, Jaimie (Dec 16, 2024). "Former FBI informant pleads guilty to lying about phony bribery scheme involving the Bidens". Associated Press News. AP News. Archived from the original on Dec 19, 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b Isaac Stanley-Becker (March 9, 2024). "FBI informant accused of smearing Bidens had past credibility issues". Washington Post.
  10. ^ a b "FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden's ties to Ukrainian energy company". KLAS. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  11. ^ "Here's what we know about Alexander Smirnov, who is appearing in court today". KLAS. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  12. ^ Ritter, Ken; Whitehurst, Lindsay; Yamat, Rio (22 February 2024). "Ex-FBI source accused of lying about Bidens and having Russian contacts is returned to US custody". AP News. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  13. ^ ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press (2024-02-23). "Judge to hold hearing Monday considering detention of ex-FBI source accused of lying about Bidens". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  14. ^ "FBI informant in Hunter Biden case released in Las Vegas, awaits hearing". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  15. ^ Lucas, Ryan. "Ex-FBI source charged with Biden lies is tied to Russian intelligence, prosecutors say". NPR. Retrieved Feb 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intelligence contacts, prosecutors say". AP News. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  17. ^ Reilly, Ryan J.; Winter, Tom; Blankstein, Andrew; Fitzpatrick, Sarah (23 February 2024). "Judge ordered rearrest of FBI informant charged with Biden lies over fears he would flee". NBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  18. ^ Sweet, Jacqueline (14 March 2024). "US firm that paid indicted FBI informant tied to Trump associates, records reveal". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  19. ^ Thrush, Glenn (December 12, 2024). "Ex-F.B.I. Informant Agrees to Plead Guilty to Lying About Bidens". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Richer, Alanna Durkin (December 12, 2024). "Ex-FBI informant accused of lying about Bidens agrees to plead guilty to federal charges". Associated Press News. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  21. ^ Legare, Robert; Fitzgerald, Elli (December 12, 2024). "Ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov pleads guilty to lying about the Bidens". CBS News. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
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