Ex-FBI informant will be jailed until trial amid fears he'll flee country

The former FBI informant charged with making false statements in relation to the investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings — and any connection with President Joe Biden — has been ordered to remain behind bars as he awaits trial.

Prosecutors raised concerns that Alexander Smirnov, who the Department of Justice has claimed has ties to Russian intelligence, could flee the country, the Associated Press reported.

“There is nothing garden variety about this case,” U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II said before making his decision. “I have not changed my mind. This man will be remanded pending trial.”

Also read: RNC board member fact-checked on CNN over $1.6M blown on Trump's legal bills

Smirnov was initially released from jail with an ankle monitor, but was ordered back into custody last week after prosecutors raised concerns that he was plotting to flee. He was re-arrested in Las Vegas and appeared in a California courtroom Monday.

As the AP pointed out, Smirnov has been charged with lying to the FBI about executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, saying they had paid the president and his son $5 million each around 2015.

"In urging the judge to keep him in jail, prosecutors revealed Smirnov has reported to the FBI having extensive contact with officials associated with Russian intelligence, and claimed that such officials were involved in passing a story to him about Hunter Biden. Prosecutors said Smirnov had been planning to travel overseas to multiple countries days after his Feb. 14 arrest where he said he was meeting with foreign intelligence contacts," the AP's report stated.

CBS News reported that the judge also said he was "concerned about habit or practice of making false statements."

Smirnov's lawyers said he will appeal against being jailed.

Read more at the Associated Press.

Recommended Links: