The FBI subpoena of Hunter Biden’s computer and hard drive came in connection with a money-laundering investigation, according to documents obtained by Fox News.
The 2019 papers were verified by multiple federal law enforcement and government officials who reviewed them, but it’s unclear whether the investigation is directly related to the Democratic presidential nominee’s son.
The documents were signed by FBI Special Agent Joshua Wilson, who did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
One document was designated as an FBI “Receipt for Property” form, which details the bureau’s interactions with the owner of “The Mac Shop” who reported the laptop’s contents to authorities.
The document has a “Case ID” section, which is filled in with a handwritten number: 272D-BA-3065729.
According to multiple officials, and the FBI’s website, “272” is the bureau’s classification for money laundering, while “272D” refers to “Money Laundering, Unknown SUA [Specified Unlawful Activity]—White Collar Crime Program.”
One government source said “272D” mean “transnational or blanket,” while “BA” means the case was opened in the FBI’s Baltimore office, which covers Wilmington, Del., where the subpoena was executed.
“The FBI cannot open a case without predication, so they believed there was predication for criminal activity,” a government official told Fox News. “This means there was sufficient evidence to believe that there was criminal conduct.”
Another document obtained by Fox News was a subpoena sent to the whistleblower, John Paul Mac Issac, to testify before US District Court in Delaware on Dec. 9, 2019.
Sources tell Fox News that the criminal case would have been opened prior to Isaac’s subpoena, meaning it was likely the laptop and hard drive contained a large amount of evidence.
Fox News first reported on Tuesday evening that the FBI is in possession of the laptop in question.
The FBI has declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation into the laptop or the emails, as is standard practice.
The Biden campaign on Wednesday pushed back on the claims that Rudy Giuliani provided them with emails belonging to Hunter Biden first reported by The Post last week.
“The Attorney General of Delaware’s office indicated that the FBI has ‘ongoing investigations regarding the veracity of this entire story,'” Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
“And it would be unsurprising for an investigation of a disinformation action involving Rudy Giuliani and those assisting him to involve questions about money laundering, especially since there are other documented inquiries into his dealings.”
“In fact, Donald Trump’s own national security adviser warned the president that material furnished by Giuliani should be considered tainted by Russian interference.”
Richard Sauber, an attorney connected to the Biden campaign, told Fox News: “Criminal investigations of Russian disinformation campaigns that include the witting participation of American citizens like Rudy Giuliani often involve investigation by the FBI of whether the American has received payment for these activities that would implicate the Federal Money Laundering statutes.”
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe rebuked that, saying the laptop and the emails purportedly on it “is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign.”
The emails in question were first obtained by The Post and, in part, revealed that Hunter Biden allegedly introduced his father, the then-vice president, to a top executive at Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings less than a year before Vice President Biden pressured government officials in Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was investigating the company’s founder.
Vice President Biden, at Hunter’s request, allegedly met with the executive, Vadym Pozharskyi, in April 2015 in Washington, DC.
The Biden campaign told Fox News Sunday that the former vice president “never had a meeting” with Pozharskyi.
Prior to the emails surfacing, Biden repeatedly has claimed he’s “never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.”
Hunter Biden’s business dealings, and his role on the board of Burisma, emerged during the Trump impeachment inquiry in 2019.
Another email, dated May 13, 2017, and obtained by Fox News, includes a discussion of “remuneration packages” for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm.
The email appeared to identify Hunter Biden as “Chair/Vice Chair depending on an agreement with CEFC,” in an apparent reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co.
The email includes a note that “Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate.” A proposed equity split references “20” for “H” and “10 held by H for the big guy?” with no further details.
Fox News spoke to one of the people who was copied on the email, who confirmed its authenticity and said that “the big guy” was a reference to the former vice president.
While Biden has not commented on that email, or his alleged involvement in any deals with the Chinese energy firm, his campaign said his returns and finances have been made public and show he is not invested in China.
Fox News also obtained an email last week that revealed an adviser of Burisma Holdings, Vadym Pozharskyi, wrote an email to Hunter Biden on May 12, 2014, requesting “advice” on how he could use his “influence to convey a message” to “stop” what the company considers “politically motivated actions.”
The email, part of a longer email chain obtained by Fox News, appeared to be referencing the firm’s founder, Mykola Zlochevsky, being under investigation.