Aimee Harris, a Floridian with a misguided sense of archival preservation, was sentenced to a quaint one-month sojourn in prison this Tuesday. Her transgression? The unauthorized acquisition and subsequent sale of the personal diary of President Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, to a group whose ideological pursuits often outstrip their ethical considerations. After her month-long prison sentence, maybe less with probation, she will begin a three-month reflective retreat in the confines of her home, courtesy of the federal court system.
In August of 2022, Harris pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. She confessed to having pocketed $20,000 out of the $40,000 bounty Project Veritas had offered for a trove of items personally connected to Ashley Biden. By the end of 2022, Harris had already cast herself as a reluctant conspirator, revealing her struggles with long-term domestic abuse and sexual trauma.
Project Veritas, known for its hidden-camera operations targeting media and political figures, evidently saw value in Harris’s haul and hoped to acquire damaging information on Biden. In November 2021, the Department of Justice conducted raids at two locations linked to James O’Keefe, the founder of Project Veritas.
Appearing in a Manhattan federal courtroom, Harris unwittingly turned herself into the protagonist of a cautionary tale about the intersection of personal ambition and public scandal. Harris, who had her sentencing postponed due to childcare issues, had a change of heart and told the judge that she understood what she did was wrong, adding, “I don’t think I’m above the law.”
Prosecutors accused Harris of intending to profit and cause harm to Ashley Biden’s father by selling the stolen items. In September 2020, Aimee Harris was accused by prosecutors of stealing the diary of the President’s daughter after she found the diary and other items at a friend’s Delray Beach, Florida, home in 2020. Prosecutors said Ashley Biden believed her items were safely stored after she temporarily stayed there in the spring of 2020.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the diary contained “highly personal entries” along with tax records, a cellphone, and family photographs. Also stolen were digital storage cards, a suitcase, books, and Ashley’s personal clothing. According to the DOJ, Harris stole “everything she could get her hands on” in the hopes she “could make as much money as she could.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman emphasized Harris’s motive was not only financial gain but also to inflict political damage. The DOJ requested a prison sentence of four to ten months for Harris, followed by three years of supervised release. This information was conveyed through a letter sent to the judge last week. During a hearing on Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman contended that Harris had demonstrated a consistent disregard for the law and the justice system.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain condemned Harris’s actions as “despicable,” highlighting the exploitation for personal gain and the potential impact on the presidential election. The judge criticized Harris for abusing the court’s time and failing to fulfill her commitments to the court, including missing sentencing dates due to childcare issues.
The court also heard how Harris and Robert Kurlander, a co-defendant, unsuccessfully attempted to sell the stolen items to Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2020 presidential race.
Harris’s defense, led by attorney Anthony Cecutti, argued against prison time, citing her traumatic past and the challenges of raising her children amid the legal proceedings. Cecutti highlighted Harris’s personal toll and public shame since the case became public, affecting her ability to find stable employment.
And so, as the final gavel fell and Aimee Harris’s sentence was pronounced, one couldn’t help but wonder: was it worth it? One month behind bars and three months of house arrest. Harris is to begin her prison stint in July.
