Prosecutors have requested a federal judge reconsider his Tuesday decision to free Alexander Smirnov—the former FBI source accused of creating false claims against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden—a day after they claimed he is connected to Russian intelligence agencies.
Smirnov was accused of making false statements about Joe and Hunter Biden's business dealings. ... [+]
Prosecutors argued in a filing there’s a “serious risk” Smirnov will flee if he’s not kept in custody, citing alleged connections with “multiple foreign intelligence agencies” and plans to leave the U.S. two days after he was arrested last week.
Smirnov also has more than $6 million in liquid funds, according to prosecutors, who noted the former FBI source didn’t disclose the money to Pretrial Services.
Smirnov, who was released in Las Vegas on Tuesday with GPS monitoring, allegedly told Pretrial Services he only had $1,500 in cash on-hand and $5,000 in a personal checking account.
Prosecutors also noted Smirnov, an Israeli citizen, can obtain a new passport at any point by visiting an Israeli consulate, something Pretrial Services wouldn’t be able to prevent, according to the filing.
Los Angeles district court judge Otis Wright II will handle the detention request.
Smirnov’s attorneys have argued he has reason to stay in Nevada because of close ties he has with the state, and claim prosecutors’ allegations about the undisclosed finances were false.
Prosecutors claim in a new filing that Smirnov has admitted that "officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing” along allegations against Hunter Biden.
Smirnov was arrested last week at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after returning from a trip abroad, and the Justice Department said he had another foreign trip lined up. He was charged with making a false statement and creating a fictitious record of the Bidens’ business dealings, including allegedly falsely testifying that the Bidens took $5 million bribes from the Ukrainian firm Burisma Holdings in exchange for protection from “all kinds of problems.” The charges have shaken up Republicans' impeachment inquiry into the president over his and his son’s alleged foreign business dealings. Smirnov’s alleged claims were reportedly a large part of the impeachment inquiry and had been considered to be credible, according to CNN.
Former Biden FBI Informant Arrested For Alleged False Statements (Forbes)