FBI confidential informant who fabricated a $5M bribery allegation against the Bidens; convicted of making false statements in 2025
Background
Alexander Smirnov is an FBI confidential informant who was arrested in February 2024 and indicted for fabricating evidence of a bribery scheme alleging that Joe and Hunter Biden had each received $5 million from Burisma Holdings. The FBI acknowledged that it had used Smirnov’s unverified allegations to obtain investigative warrants and that his claims had influenced the prosecution of Hunter Biden. Special Counsel David Weiss’s office acknowledged that Smirnov had significant ties to Russian intelligence. Smirnov was convicted of making false statements and obstructing justice in January 2025 and sentenced to six years in federal prison.