The Department of Justice (DOJ) wants Aimee Harris, the person who stole Ashley Biden's diary and sold it to conservative media website Project Veritas for tens of thousands of dollars before the 2020 presidential election, to go to prison.
According to the DOJ, Harris was temporarily staying at Ashley Biden's home in Delray Beach, Florida in September 2020 when she took the diary, which contained very personal writing, along with tax documents, a cellphone, and family photos. Harris also got help from Robert Kurlander to sell these items.
Project Veritas, a controversial media organization based in New York, paid Harris and Kurlander $20,000 each for the diary and other materials. Project Veritas is known for undercover operations and recording sources to uncover what they claim is the true story behind news headlines.
In November, the DOJ searched two places connected to Project Veritas and its founder, James O'Keefe.
Project Veritas didn't publish the diary, but another website did. O'Keefe explained that he didn't publish it because he couldn't confirm if it was real, stating that it was found abandoned in a hotel room by tipsters.
In a letter on Tuesday to Judge Laura Swain, federal prosecutors asked the court to sentence Harris to four to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Previously, they had requested six months of home confinement, followed by three years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors explained in the letter that they changed their sentencing recommendation because Harris postponed her sentencing hearing 12 times, providing insufficient reasons. The original sentencing date was December 6, 2022.
Prosecutors said that Harris sometimes gave false excuses, including claiming she couldn't find childcare. It was later discovered that the father, with whom Harris shares custody of the children, could take care of them on the days she was supposed to appear in court.
Prosecutors also expressed frustration with Harris's inability to get proper identification, which she knew was needed for traveling. At one point, she claimed to be sick but didn't provide the required medical records.
The defendant repeatedly delayed the proceedings, misled the court with false information to justify unwarranted requests for adjournments, failed to appear when directed, and disregarded court orders. This consistent behavior displayed a complete disrespect for the court's orders and the orderly operation of the judicial procedure.
The federal prosecutors wrote in the Tuesday letter to the court that the defendant's blatant disregard for the law, even after admitting guilt, shows a lack of responsibility for her actions and strongly suggests the need for imprisonment. They believe that probation alone will not be enough to discourage the defendant from breaking the law, given her consistent resistance to court supervision.
The defendant's conduct is serious, and a sentence without jail time will not be enough to show that. The defendant seems to think she is above the law and doesn't have to follow the Court's orders.
The prosecutors believe that the new sentencing recommendation would show that breaking the law and not following the Court's orders during a criminal case will have serious consequences and won't be accepted.
A lawyer representing Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Harris and Kurlander each admitted guilt to a charge of conspiring to transport stolen property across state lines. The stolen property belonged to a family member of a former government official who was running for national office.
