The Justice Department is seeking a prison sentence of four to ten months for Aimee Harris, the woman who stole Ashley Biden’s diary, according to a filing submitted on Tuesday in a New York district court.
Initially, prosecutors had requested six months of home confinement and three years of probation for Harris, who admitted to stealing and selling the diary in August 2022.
Prosecutors cited Harris’s repeated attempts to delay her sentencing hearing as justification for the increased punishment.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams’ filing to District Judge Laura Taylor Swain said:
In light of the defendant’s conduct in this case since the Government filed its initial sentencing submission in September 2023 (as described above), and the recent revelations regarding her conduct in other prior proceedings over the past four years (as described in Dkt. 89), the Government’s assessment of the pertinent § 3553(a) factors in this case has changed.
Williams added:
Taking into account all of the factors set forth in § 3553(a), including the defendant’s background and characteristics, the nature and circumstances of the offense, the importance of general and specific deterrence, and the need to promote respect for the law, a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range of 4 to 10 months’ imprisonment would be sufficient but not greater than necessary to accomplish the purposes of sentencing, including but not limited to promoting respect for the law and specific and general deterrence.
In September 2020, Harris discovered Biden’s diary, tax records, private family photos, and cell phone at a Delray Beach, Florida home where the first daughter had resided.
President Joe Biden was the Democratic presidential nominee at that time.
Following this, Harris and her co-defendant Robert Kurlander sold the items to Project Veritas for $40,000.
Harris is set to be sentenced on April 9 after multiple delays of the date, while Kurlander, who also pleaded guilty, is scheduled for sentencing on April 12 according to the New York Post.
Williams also wrote to the judge that Harris was being sentenced for “scandalous conduct [that] is appalling and must not be overlooked…and which, in and of itself, exhibited a clear disrespect for the law.”
“In addition, the defendant’s sentence must also account for the manner in which she has abused the administration of justice throughout the pendency of this court proceeding,” he wrote.
He further stated that Harris has displayed “utter disregard” for the Court’s directives.
The defendant has repeatedly and consistently engaged in tactics to improperly delay this proceeding, including by misleading the Court with false information to justify belated and unmerited requests for adjournments, refusing to appear when directed, and failing to comply with court orders to disclose or produce certain information. Through this pattern of behavior, the defendant has shown a complete disregard for the Court’s orders and for the orderly administration of this judicial proceeding.
Williams cautioned that failing to appear could result in a request for an enhancement for obstruction of justice.
ICYMI: Judge Extends Gag Order Against Trump In Stormy Daniels Case
