Alexander Smirnov, former FBI informant accused of lying about Biden family business, faces new tax charges

The former FBI informant charged by special counsel David Weiss with allegedly lying about the business dealings of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden is facing a separate new indictment on tax-related charges, court records show.

Alexander Smirnov allegedly evaded paying taxes on more than $2 million in income he received from multiple sources between 2020 and 2022, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in federal court in California.

Smirnov was due to stand trial next week in Los Angeles, accused of fabricating “representations” about President Biden and his son receiving $5 million in bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma, which Republicans have repeatedly tried to seize in their years-long effort to impeach. the president. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

That trial has since been pushed to January by the federal judge overseeing Smirnov’s case.

The newly unsealed indictment accuses Smirnov of living a lavish lifestyle during the years he also allegedly peddled lies to his FBI handlers about the Biden family — with expenses detailed that include a $1.4 million Las Vegas condo, a Bentley , which he allegedly rented for over $122,000, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, jewelry and accessories he allegedly purchased for himself and his domestic partner.

Despite receiving more than $2 million in income streams, prosecutors say on a June 2022 credit card application, he listed only $60,000 in total annual income and $250,000 in gross business income.

The indictment further alleges that when Smirnov sought the assistance of a professional tax preparer who refused to sign his tax returns, Smirnov told the preparer that they “should not inquire about how he earned his income,” and further instructed them to delete any emails or messages sent by Smirnov.

“Mr. Smirnov intends to vigorously fight these allegations with the same intensity as he has fought the original accusation,” Smirnov’s lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Smirnov had not yet entered a plea to the newly filed indictment, according to court records.

Smirnov has been held since his arrest in February on the belief that he poses a flight risk because of his extensive overseas contacts, which reportedly include known senior intelligence agents in Russia.