Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens must remain jailed, appeals court rules
A federal appeals court has rejected a bid to release from jail a former FBI informant who is charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family
By Alanna Durkin Richer
Published - May 01, 2024, 10:10 PM ET
Last Updated - May 27, 2024, 01:04 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a bid to release from jail a former FBI informant who is charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family.
But a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit said the lower court was right to conclude Smirnov is a flight risk and there are no conditions of release that would reasonably assure he shows up in court.
The appeals court also denied Smirnov’s request for temporary release, which his lawyers had pressed for so he could undergo eye surgery for glaucoma.
