A Florida woman was sentenced this week to one month in prison for stealing and selling the diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley.
Aimee Harris pleaded guilty to the crime in 2022 and has avoided sentencing since December 2022. She delayed sentencing more than 10 times, claiming medical issues and childcare concerns as reasons for the delay, according to a report from The Washington Post.
She claimed to be ill at least once but could not produce medical records to prove the illness, and she failed to get the identification required to travel out of state for the hearing.
Harris confessed to stealing the diary and providing it to Project Veritas for $20,000. She enlisted the help of Robert Kurlander, who also received $20,000. Project Veritas is best known for undercover sting operations, often targeting Democrats.
The news organization claimed it had received the diary from a “whistleblower” and that it was legally obtained. Project Veritas did not publish the diary.
Kurlander also pleaded guilty but has not been sentenced.
The FBI launched an investigation shortly after a right-leaning website published a portion of the diary just before the 2020 election.
Harris gave a tearful apology at her sentencing and apologized to the president and his daughter for her actions. Harris discovered the diary at a friend’s home in Delray Beach, Florida, where Ashley had stayed in the Spring of 2020.
Manhattan federal court Judge Laura Taylor Swain called Harris’s actions “despicable” at sentencing, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Swain said Harris’ actions were motivated by greed and a desire to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election by casting shame on Biden.
Harris also stole a digital memory card, clothing, and other items belonging to Ashley Biden.
“I do not believe I am above the law,” Harris said at her sentencing. “I’m a survivor of long-term domestic abuse and sexual trauma.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman urged a prison sentence, saying Harris had shown a “pattern” of disrespect for the law and the justice system. Sobelman added the Bidens are the victims in the case, not Harris.
Prosecutors initially sought a sentence of six months of home confinement followed by three years of supervised release but later changed their recommendation to four to 10 months in prison, citing her repeated delays in the matter. In addition to the one-month prison sentence, Harris will be subject to three months of house arrest upon her release and three years of probation. She will be required to forfeit the proceeds from the sale. Her prison term will begin in July.
