A man and a woman pleaded guilty Thursday to selling the stolen diary of President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley in a proceeding that appeared to verify the authenticity of the journal, which reportedly contained disturbing passages.
Aimee Harris, 40, and Robert Kurlander, 58, told a federal judge in New York that they conspired to transport the diary from Florida to New York, where they sold it for $40,000 to Project Veritas just before the 2020 presidential election. The journalism organization ultimately did not publish any parts of the diary and instead handed it over to authorities.
“They sold the property to an organization in New York for $40,000 and even returned to take more of the victim’s property when asked to do so,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. “Harris and Kurlander sought to profit from their theft of another person’s personal property, and they now stand convicted of a federal felony as a result.”
Confirmed: Ashley Biden’s diary is real.
Two people just plead guilty to federal charges of stealing the diary of President Biden’s daughter. (AP)
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) August 25, 2022
Harris and Kurlander were ordered to forfeit their proceeds and both face up to five years in prison.
Ashley Biden was not officially identified in court as the owner of the diary, but her involvement has been previously reported. She left the diary at a home in Delray Beach when she moved to Philadelphia in June 2020. Although Project Veritas did not publish information from the diary, a lesser known web site subsequently got hold of purported photos of entries, which described bizarre family activities.
Federal prosecutors acknowledged it was a “handwritten journal containing highly personal entries.” Court documents also revealed that the pair tried to sell the diary to the Trump campaign, but were rebuffed.
Harris found it after moving into the home after the future president’s daughter left. Ashley Biden had reportedly planned to return for some items she had left in the home.
The FBI searched private homes and offices of Project Veritas as part of its investigation into the matter, even raiding the New York home of founder James O’Keefe.
“A journalist’s lawful receipt of material later alleged to be stolen is routine, commonplace and protected by the First Amendment,” Project Veritas said in a statement Thursday.