In a notable legal development, the United States Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden. Archer’s appeal concerned his criminal conviction related to a scheme that defrauded a Native American tribe.
Archer, who had previously served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma alongside Hunter Biden, faced legal challenges following allegations of his involvement in fraudulently issuing $60 million in tribal bonds. Initially, Archer was sentenced to prison in 2018 after a jury conviction. However, later that year, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan overturned his conviction, citing concerns about Archer’s potential innocence.
Despite Judge Abrams’s initial ruling, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Archer’s conviction just before the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In February 2022, he received a prison sentence of one year and one day. Matthew Schwartz, Archer’s attorney, has consistently asserted Archer’s innocence and indicated plans to pursue a series of appeals. This legal strategy has so far delayed Archer’s imprisonment.
The case against Archer centered on accusations of defrauding a Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients through the issuance and sale of bonds by fraudulent means, as stated by the Department of Justice. It’s important to note that Hunter Biden was not implicated in this scheme.
Archer’s legal battle has been marked by varying opinions from the judiciary. While Judge Abrams originally expressed doubt about Archer’s guilt, she later acknowledged the seriousness of the alleged crime in 2022, emphasizing the undeniable harm caused to real people by the fraudulent scheme.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to review Archer’s case represents a significant milestone in this long-running legal saga, underscoring the complexities and contentious nature of high-profile white-collar crime cases. Archer’s team, led by Schwartz, had not immediately responded to requests for comment following the Supreme Court’s decision.