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Washington: Two people who stole Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley’s diary and family photos have pleaded guilty to a scheme to sell them to a conservative campaign group just before the 2020 election.
Aimee Harris, 40, and Robert Kurlander, 58, admitted conspiring to transport the diary along with family photos from Florida, where they found them, to New York, where they eventually sold them to Project Veritas, the conservative campaign group. The pair face the possibility of up to five years in prison. Their plea deal also requires them to each give up the proceeds of selling the diary – $US20,000 each – and co-operate with investigators.
Two people have pleaded guilty in a scheme to peddle a diary and other items belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley (right) to the conservative group Project Veritas, prosecutors said.Credit:AP
Ashley Biden, 41, stored her diary and other personal items at a friend’s home in Delray Beach, Florida, when she moved out in the spring of 2020, according to court papers.
Harris subsequently moved into the same room, found the items and contacted Kurlander, who said he would help her make a “tonne of money” from selling them.
The pair first approached Donald Trump’s campaign, but a representative turned down the material and told them to take it to the FBI.
According to the court filings, Kurlander texted Harris saying: “They want it to go to the FBI. There is NO WAY [Trump] can use this. It has to be done a different way.”
Jill, Ashley and Hunter Biden look on as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021.Credit:AP
They next approached Project Veritas, which identifies itself as a news organisation. The group is popular among conservatives for conducting hidden-camera “stings” seeking to expose liberal bias at media, tech and government institutions.
Project Veritas staff met with Kurlander and Harris in New York and agreed to pay an initial $US10,000.