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Ex-FBI Informant Alexander Smirnov Gets Six Years for False Biden, Hunter Bribery Claims Involving Burisma

Jan 9, 2025, 01:05 AM

Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, was sentenced to six years in prison for fabricating a bribery story involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Smirnov, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to the FBI about a phony bribery scheme involving Burisma Holdings, which prosecutors claimed was an attempt to influence the 2020 presidential election. He falsely claimed that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid Joe and Hunter Biden $5 million each around 2015. Smirnov's claims resurfaced during a House impeachment inquiry into President Biden, although the Biden administration dismissed the effort as a 'stunt.' Special Counsel David Weiss prosecuted the case. Smirnov's lawyers sought a lighter sentence, arguing that he had provided substantial assistance to the U.S. government as an informant and suffered from serious health issues. Smirnov has agreed to pay $675,000 in restitution to the IRS. In reality, Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma starting in 2017, after Biden's term as vice president. Prosecutors noted that Smirnov's false claim 'set off a firestorm in Congress.' Before his arrest, Republicans demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the unverified allegations.