Hunter Biden's former business partner, Devon Archer, is seeking a reduction in his one-year sentence for defrauding a Native American tribe.
Archer's attorney argues that there was an error in the initial calculation of his sentence and that his cooperation in investigations involving the Biden family warrants a further reduction. Archer, who worked closely with Hunter Biden on foreign business dealings during Joe Biden's vice presidency, provided explosive testimony to the House Oversight Committee implicating President Biden in his son's overseas relationships.
In a letter to Manhattan federal Judge Ronnie Abrams, Archer's attorney, Matthew Schwartz, requests that the court address the calculation error in Archer's sentencing and grant him habeas relief. Schwartz argues that Archer played a minor role in uncharged conduct, which should result in a two-level reduction in his sentence. The filing also highlights Archer's substantial civic duties, including his cooperation with federal investigators and his support for charitable and educational causes.
Schwartz concludes the letter by requesting that the court consider Archer's changed circumstances and continued participation in governmental investigations when resentencing him. He emphasizes Archer's flawless record on pretrial release over the course of nearly eight years.
Archer was convicted in 2018 of two felonies for his involvement in selling fraudulent bonds for an Oglala Sioux tribal entity in South Dakota. In addition to prison time, he was ordered to forfeit $15.7 million and pay restitution of $43.4 million. Archer's conviction was initially overturned in 2018 but reinstated by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020.
Archer's testimony last year provided substantial information about President Biden's alleged role in his family's foreign relationships, contradicting the president's claims of being uninvolved. He released a letter from Joe Biden in 2011, thanking him for attending a Chinese state lunch and expressing satisfaction with Archer going into business with his son. Archer also testified that Joe Biden was present on speakerphone for about 20 of Hunter's foreign business meetings and had coffee with a Chinese government-linked businessman during a vice presidential trip to Beijing.
Archer's testimony revealed that Joe Biden had dinners with Hunter's Kazakhstani, Russian, and Ukrainian patrons at DC's Cafe Milano. Among the dinner guests were Yelena Baturina, who transferred millions of dollars to a Hunter Biden-linked entity, and Kenes Rakishev, who purchased a sports car for Hunter. Vadym Pozharsky, a board adviser to Ukrainian gas company Burisma, also thanked Hunter for the opportunity to meet his father in an email.
Archer further disclosed that Hunter Biden had a phone call with Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky shortly before Joe Biden threatened to deny a $1 billion US loan guarantee to Ukraine. A paid FBI informant reported that Zlochevsky said he had to pay $10 million in bribes to the Bidens. Archer testified that he had no knowledge of the alleged bribe but speculated that it referred to the amount paid to himself and Hunter during their tenure on the board.
Archer's testimony to Congress led to a formal impeachment inquiry by Republicans, which has resulted in additional testimony from individuals involved in other Biden family dealings. Rob Walker, an associate who distributed proceeds to Hunter and James Biden, testified that Joe Biden met with a Chinese energy company chairman and that a transfer of about $1 million to Hunter and James Biden was compensation for their work with the company during the Obama-Biden administration.
Hunter Biden is scheduled to stand trial in Los Angeles in June for allegedly failing to pay taxes on foreign income. He also faces federal gun charges in Delaware.
Login