The Department of Justice (DOJ) is pushing for prison time for Aimee Harris, the individual who stole the diary of Ashley Biden, daughter of the president, and sold it to Project Veritas, a conservative media outlet, ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
As per the DOJ, Harris, who was temporarily residing at Ashley Biden’s residence in Delray Beach, Fla., stole the diary along with other personal items, including tax records, a cellphone, and family photos. Harris then teamed up with Robert Kurlander to sell these materials.
Project Veritas, headquartered in New York, paid Harris and Kurlander $20,000 each for the diary and other items they retrieved. Project Veritas is known for its controversial tactics, often sending its staff undercover for sting operations to uncover what they claim to be the truth behind news stories.
Ashley Biden and Joe Biden (Credits: Axios)
In November, the DOJ conducted raids on two locations linked to Project Veritas and its founder, James O’Keefe. Although Project Veritas did not publish the diary, it was leaked on another website. O’Keefe stated he didn’t publish it because he could not verify its authenticity.
In a recent letter to Judge Laura Swain, federal prosecutors asked for a sentence of four to 10 months imprisonment for Harris, followed by three years of supervised release. This comes after Harris delayed her sentencing hearing 12 times, providing reasons deemed inadequate by prosecutors.
Prosecutors expressed frustration with Harris’s repeated delays, citing instances where her excuses were found to be untrue. Additionally, they noted her failure to obtain valid identification necessary for travel and her failure to produce requested medical records.
Ashley Biden (Credits: FONJEP)
The prosecutors emphasized that Harris’s behavior, including her disregard for court orders, warrants a prison sentence to deter future misconduct. They asserted that a sentence involving only probation would be insufficient to reflect the seriousness of her actions.
The revised sentencing recommendation conveys that breaking the law and disobeying court orders during criminal proceedings will have severe consequences.
An attorney representing Harris did not respond to a request for comment. Harris and Kurlander pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property from a family member of a former government official running for national office.
