Devon Archer: The Man Behind Hunter Biden's Foreign Deals
Arnold Jones
Devon Archer is a name that has been linked to some of the most scandalous stories involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. He is a former business partner of Hunter, who was convicted of fraud in 2018 and is facing a one-year prison sentence. He is also the man who revealed new details about the Biden family's involvement in foreign deals in China and Ukraine, raising questions about their ethics and national security implications.
Who is Devon Archer?
Devon Archer is a 47-year-old American businessman and lawyer, who graduated from Yale University in 1999. He met Hunter Biden there, and they became close friends. He also became friends with Christopher Heinz, the stepson of former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Archer worked as a fundraiser for John Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004, and later joined his investment firm Rosemont Capital. He also served as vice chairman of Rosemont Seneca Partners, a subsidiary of Rosemont Capital that was co-founded by Hunter Biden and Christopher Heinz in 2009.
Archer was involved in several business ventures with Hunter Biden, including Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company that hired Hunter as a board member in 2014. Archer also joined the board of Burisma, despite having no experience in the energy sector. The move raised eyebrows, as Joe Biden was then the vice president of the United States and the point person for Ukraine policy.
Archer also helped broker a deal between Hunter Biden and a Chinese state-owned bank, which resulted in the creation of BHR Partners, a private equity firm that invested in Chinese companies. The deal was signed in 2013, when Joe Biden was visiting China as vice president.
Why is Devon Archer facing prison?
Devon Archer was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2016, along with two other men, for participating in a scheme to defraud a Native American tribe and investors of millions of dollars. The scheme involved issuing fraudulent bonds worth $60 million, purportedly to finance various projects for the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation, an entity affiliated with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The bonds were sold to investors who were misled about their purpose and risks. The proceeds were then diverted to personal accounts and shell companies controlled by Archer and his co-conspirators.
Archer was convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud in 2018, after a jury trial in Manhattan federal court. He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, and ordered to pay $8 million in restitution.
However, Archer appealed his conviction, arguing that he was denied a fair trial due to insufficient evidence, erroneous jury instructions, and prosecutorial misconduct. He also claimed that he was unaware of the fraudulent nature of the bond scheme, and that he acted in good faith as an adviser to the tribe.
In 2020, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Archer's conviction, ruling that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The panel also criticized the prosecution for making improper arguments and introducing irrelevant evidence that prejudiced the jury against Archer.
The government then petitioned for a rehearing en banc, meaning that all the judges of the Second Circuit would review the case. The petition was granted in March 2021, and oral arguments were held in June 2021.
On October 13, 2021, the Second Circuit issued its decision, reversing the panel's ruling and reinstating Archer's conviction. The court held that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict, and that any errors made by the prosecution or the trial court did not affect the outcome of the case. The court also rejected Archer's claim that he acted in good faith, finding that he knowingly participated in the fraud scheme.
Archer's lawyers said they were disappointed by the decision, and vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court. They said they hoped that the Supreme Court would grant them a new trial based on their constitutional arguments.
What did Devon Archer reveal about the Biden family?
Devon Archer's legal troubles have also exposed some of the inner workings of the Biden family's foreign deals, which have been the subject of scrutiny and controversy for years.
In 2019, Archer's lawyers filed a motion to suppress evidence obtained from his laptop, which was seized by the FBI as part of the fraud investigation. The motion revealed that the laptop contained emails, documents, and photos related to Archer's and Hunter Biden's business activities in China and Ukraine.
Some of the emails showed that Archer and Hunter Biden discussed meeting with Chinese officials and businessmen, and sought to leverage their connections to Joe Biden to secure lucrative deals. One email from 2017 suggested that Hunter Biden was offered a 10% stake in a Chinese company by a partner who referred to him as "the big guy". Some have speculated that "the big guy" was a reference to Joe Biden, who was then out of office.
Other emails showed that Archer and Hunter Biden were in contact with Vadym Pozharskyi, a top executive of Burisma Holdings, who asked them for advice and assistance in dealing with the Ukrainian government and media. One email from 2015 indicated that Pozharskyi thanked Hunter Biden for inviting him to meet Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. This contradicted Joe Biden's claim that he never discussed his son's business dealings with him.
The laptop also contained photos of Archer and Hunter Biden with various foreign dignitaries and businessmen, including former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and Chinese billionaire Ye Jianming.
The laptop's contents have raised questions about whether Archer and Hunter Biden used their influence and access to Joe Biden to advance their personal interests, and whether Joe Biden was aware of or involved in their activities. They have also sparked allegations of corruption, conflict of interest, and national security risks.
The Biden family has denied any wrongdoing, and dismissed the laptop's contents as part of a smear campaign orchestrated by their political opponents. They have also questioned the authenticity and origin of the laptop, suggesting that it may have been hacked or planted by foreign adversaries.
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