CNN
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Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant who was charged with lying about his alleged dealings with President Joe Biden's family in Ukraine, has been rearrested in Nevada.
Prosecutors fought to keep Mr. Smirnov in custody, but on Tuesday he was released by Nevada Judge Daniel Albreguz on several conditions, including GPS monitoring and surrendering two passports.
Prosecutors asked a Nevada judge to delay his release, but the judge refused and Smirnov was allowed to appear in court.
Now, Smirnov's lawyers have announced that their client was rearrested on Thursday on a new warrant for the exact same charges. This time, it was signed by U.S. District Judge Otis Wright, who oversees criminal cases in California.
“Despite Judge Albreguts’ prior ruling, denial of the stay request, and prior release of Mr. Smirnov from custody, on the morning of February 22, 2024, Mr. Smirnov was arrested for the second time on the same charges and on the same basis. “The indictment…was stated while at the undersigned attorney's law office to meet with an attorney,” his attorney wrote in a court filing.
The unusual move means Mr Smirnov will have to reassert his bid for release. Prosecutors had already moved to rehear the matter before a California judge, reiterating concerns about Smirnov's ties to foreign intelligence officials and access to large sums of cash. .
A spokesman for Special Counsel David Weiss, who is prosecuting the case, confirmed Smirnov's arrest.
Prosecutors have argued that Mr. Smirnov repeatedly lied to FBI agents with whom he worked for more than a decade and should not be believed. Prosecutors say he had extensive connections in Russia and elsewhere and lied to authorities about his “access to more than $6 million in liquid funds.”
Mr. Smirnov has not yet entered a plea.
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Prosecutors also filed several sealed documents Thursday in the California court docket. The contents of those documents are not yet known.
Smirnov's lawyer denied claims in court that his client was fleeing the country or trying to evade prosecution. They said in Thursday's filing that Mr. Smirnov “has remained in full compliance with the conditions of his release since his court-ordered release,” adding that “a second arrest warrant against Mr. Smirnov, which was outstanding at the time, “They made no mention of anything and requested a retrial in California,” he said, criticizing the prosecution. .Smirnov is also based on the same charges. ”
His attorney requested an emergency hearing before the presiding judge for the District of Nevada.
