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Former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign refused to purchase a personal journal belonging to Ashley Biden, daughter of Joe and Jill Biden, according to the Department of Justice.
The journal containing "highly personal entries," according to federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, was stolen in September of 2020 by two people who later offered to sell it to the Trump campaign for $20,000 per person. The pair sold the journal to Project Veritas, which declined to publish it after being unable to verify its contents. Neither Project Veritas nor the Trump Organization is specifically mentioned by the name in the filing.
Aimee Harris pleaded guilty to stealing the journal, which was accompanied by tax records, a digital storage card containing private family photographs, a cellphone and other belongings, from Biden's Delray Beach, Florida, residence, prosecutors said. She conspired with Robert Kurlander to transport the items across state lines.
"Harris and Kurlander stole personal property from an immediate family member of a candidate for national political office," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Thursday. "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. 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."
Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe initially denied any wrongdoing after receiving a grand jury subpoena, saying in November of 2021 that his group never "engaged in any illegal conduct" and added that he had "no doubt Project Veritas acted appropriately at each and every step."
After being greeted at his home by 10 FBI agents, O'Keefe's lawyers demanded that leakers associated with the case be identified.
Harris, 40, of Palm Beach, Florida, and Kurlander, 58, of Jupiter, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Each agreed to forfeit $20,000 and Kurlander has agreed to cooperate with the government.
Correction 08/26/22, 9:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that the two defendants sold the journal to Project Veritas.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more