Former FBI informant admits lying about phoney bribery scheme involving Bidens

Prosecutors and the defence have agreed to recommend a sentence of between four and six years in prison, according to the plea agreement

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, left, walks out of his lawyer’s office in Las Vegas. Picture: K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/AP

A former FBI informant pleaded guilty on Monday to lying about a phoney bribery scheme involving US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

Alexander Smirnov entered his plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge in connection with the bogus story, along with a tax evasion charge stemming from a separate indictment accusing him of concealing millions of dollars of income, according to court papers.