A California federal court on Wednesday sentenced Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant who falsely accused President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of accepting bribes from a Ukrainian energy company, to six years in prison. The sentencing follows Smirnov’s guilty plea last month to charges of creating false records and tax evasion involving $675,000 owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II handed down the 72-month sentence, citing Smirnov’s betrayal of trust and efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. Smirnov, who has been in federal custody since February due to flight risk concerns, was also ordered to pay $675,502 in restitution to the IRS.
Fabricated Allegations Against the Bidens
Prosecutors revealed that in 2020, Smirnov falsely claimed to the FBI that Burisma, a Ukrainian energy firm where Hunter Biden once served as a board member, had paid $5 million to the Bidens. Smirnov provided fake evidence, including a photo he alleged showed the Bidens with Burisma’s CEO, which prosecutors debunked as unrelated.
