Crime & Safety
Florida Duo Pleads Guilty In Biden's Daughter's Diary Theft: Reports
A woman and man from Florida are accused of traveling to New York to sell the diary to Project Veritas for $40,000.
![President Joe Biden walks on the beach with daughter Ashley Biden, in Rehoboth Beach, Del., June 20, 2022. Two people have pleaded guilty in a scheme to peddle a diary and other items belonging to Ashley Biden to the conservative group Project Veritas.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/ap/24942087/20220825/020438/styles/patch_image/public/ap22237624154324___25140349759.jpg)
PALM BEACH, FL — A woman and man from Florida have pleaded guilty in a case involving the theft of the diary of Ashley Biden, the daughter of President Joe Biden, according to multiple reports.
Aimee Harris, of Palm Beach and Robert Kurlander, of Jupiter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property belonging to an immediate family member of a candidate for political office, the Department of Justice announced in a news release Thursday.
The two will be sentenced later, officials said. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.
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The diary was stolen in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. The New York Times previously reported Harris and Kurlander sold the diary to Project Veritas, a conservative organization known for its hidden camera tactics against liberal groups and mainstream news organizations.
The pair sold the diary to an "organization in New York" for $40,000 and even returned to take more of Biden's property when asked, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
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Ashley Biden had been living in a Delray Beach, Florida, home with an acquaintance and headed to Philadelphia as the 2020 campaign ramped up with the intention to return before the lease expired that November, according to the New York Times.
Biden left the diary, along with tax records, a digital storage with family photos and a cellphone, which were still at the home in September 2020, according to prosecutors.
The acquaintance later allowed Harris to move in to the house shortly after Biden left for Philadelphia, the Times reported.
Prosecutors say the woman stole the items and got in touch with Kurlander, who contacted Project Veritas. The organization asked for photos of the diary and then paid for the two to bring it to New York, prosecutors said.
This story is being updated.
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