In the final months of the 2020 presidential election, Florida woman Aimee Harris found herself holding what she thought could be the answer to all her problems – Ashley Biden's diary.
The diary, written by then-democratic candidate Joe Biden's youngest daughter, had been left at a friend's home just weeks before Harris arrived.
The mother of two was facing financial hardship and a contentious custody battle.
The events that would unfold in coming months would form part of an alleged conspiracy by a conservative group to embarrass now-President Joe Biden's campaign.
It would also land Harris in jail.
Here's how it all unfolded.
A diary, tax records, private family photos and more
Ashley Biden — the US president's youngest daughter — had quit her job as a social worker in the lead up to the 2020 election, according to CNN, but had stayed largely behind the scenes as the campaign unfolded.
Her half-brother, Hunter Biden, was already a frequent target for conservatives — in a 2022 interview she admitted to shying away from a spotlight she said became uglier and uglier.
"I have to be honest with you, I started to really have a lot of resentment," she said. "It's cruel, like, honestly, it's dehumanising."
At the same time, a different struggle was unfolding for 41-year-old Aimee Harris.
The mother-of-two was facing eviction and had posted to social media in support of Donald Trump, according to the New York Times, when she moved into a friend's house in Delray Beach, Florida.
Court documents said Harris been invited to stay "in the same room", "approximately two days after the victim [Ashley Biden] moved out of the residence and stored property there".
"At the time, [Harris] knew that the victim was a member of the immediate family of [Joe Biden]."
"On or about June 19, 2020, approximately two days after the victim moved out of the residence and stored property there, the friend invited [Harris] to temporarily stay in the same room," documents said.
"[Ms Biden] had stored the property, including a handwritten journal containing highly personal entries, tax records, a digital storage card containing private family photographs, and a cell phone, among other things," wrote the US Attorney's Office in a 2022 press release.
Harris took "everything she could get her hands on", said Assistant US Attorney Robert Sobelman.
'You may have a chance to make so much money'
She called a long-time friend, Robert Kurlander, and enlisted him to help.
"That same day, Kurlander texted Harris that he would help her 'make a s*** ton of money' from selling the victim's property," charging documents said.
Federal prosecutors said in 2022 the pair first approached the Trump campaign.
"Harris and Kurlander attended [a Trump fundraiser] with the intent of showing the victim's stolen property to a campaign representative … hoping that the political campaign would purchase it," court documents said.
"In advance of the fundraiser, Robert Kurlander … texted Aimee Harris … 'On Sunday you may have a chance to make so much money,' and reminded her to bring the property to the event.
"[Harris] responded to Kurlander, 'Omg. Coming with stuff that neither one of us have seen or spoken about,' and added, 'I can't wait to show you what Mama has to bring Papa.'"
A representative of the Trump campaign told the pair they weren't interested in buying the stolen property.
According to the court documents, Kurlander told Harris: "They want it to go to the FBI. There is NO WAY [they] can use this. It has to be done a different way."
Enter conservative group, Project Veritas.
The controversial Project Veritas
Project Veritas, founded in 2010, identifies itself as a news organisation.
It is best known for conducting hidden camera stings that have embarrassed news outlets, labour organisations and Democratic politicians.
Its founder and now-ousted chairman James O'Keefe has been singled out for praise by Donald Trump in the past for "bypassing" mainstream media.
In the wake of the election, Project Veritas produced a series of videos claiming there had been ballot mishandling in Pennsylvania.
In February of this year, Mr O'Keefe and Project Veritas admitted they had "no evidence" for the claims of voter fraud.
Mr O'Keefe left the group in 2023.
It's unclear how Harris and Mr Kurlander got into contact with the group — prosecutors say they were told to use an "encrypted application" to send photos of Ms Biden's property.
"After receiving the photographs, the organisation offered to pay for Harris and Kurlander's transportation of the property from Florida to New York City," the US Attorney's office said, referring to Project Veritas only as "the organisation".
"Harris and Kurlander subsequently travelled to New York City with the victim's property at the organisation's expense and met with employees of the organisation.
"During that meeting, Harris described the circumstances of how she had obtained the victim's property, provided the property to the organisation.
"[She] disclosed that the victim had stored additional property in the residence where Harris continued to have access.
"After the meeting, and at the organisation's request, Harris and Kurlander returned to Florida to obtain more of the Victim's property in order to provide it to the organisation.
"They later met with an organisation employee in Florida and gave that employee more of the victim's stolen property."
The pair then received $US20,000 ($30,203.20) each.
'I do not believe I am above the law'
The diary wasn't published by Project Veritas — several pages were instead posted to a right-wing website just weeks before election day.
The website said it had gotten the diary from a "whistleblower" working for a media organisation.
Both Harris and Mr Kurlander have pleaded guilty to stealing the diary and transporting it across state lines.
Prosecutors had urged a prison sentence for Harris after she failed to appear at multiple sentencing dates, on the grounds that she was consumed with caring for her two children, aged eight and six.
They said she had exhibited "a pattern of disrespect for the law and the justice system".
“I do not believe I am above the law,” Harris said in court, also expressing regret to Ms Biden, who was not present in the courtroom.
“I'm a survivor of long term domestic abuse and sexual trauma."
She was sentenced to a month in prison and three months of home confinement to begin in July. The judge labelled her actions "despicable".
Mr Kurlander is set to face sentencing later this year.
In December, a judge rejected a First Amendment claim by Project Veritas — meaning criminal prosecutors could soon have access to more than 900 documents related to the theft of the diary.
In written arguments at the time, lawyers for Project Veritas and O'Keefe said the government's investigation "seems undertaken not to vindicate any real interests of justice, but rather to stifle the press from investigating the president's family".
"It is impossible to imagine the government investigating an abandoned diary (or perhaps the other belongings left behind with it), had the diary not been written by someone with the last name 'Biden,'" they added
The documents came from raids in 2021, when investigators also seized electronics from the homes of three Project Veritas members.
Project Veritas has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime in connection to the diary.
ABC/AP