Fran Person, a former adviser to then-Vice President Biden, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in 2016. (Fran Person/YouTube screenshot)
Person, whose sister worked for Hunter Biden's now-defunct Rosemont Seneca Partners firm before joining Biden's VP office in 2014, frequently emailed with Hunter and his longtime business partner, Eric Schwerin, then-president Rosemont Seneca, about business dealings associated with Harves Entertainment and other D.C.-based Harves affiliates in 2015 and 2016.
He also made multiple visits to the White House during that time, including attending a White House holiday reception in December 2015 with Bo Zhang, his Chinese business partner, according to visitor logs reviewed by Fox News Digital. Person previously told Fox News Digital the White House visits were "personal in nature" and that he was "visiting with old colleagues and friends."
Person first introduced Hunter to the Harves brand in a detailed July 2015 email inviting him to China to meet Zhang and his family, saying, "They are a great family with great respect and relationships in China." Zhang is the son of "Chinese billionaires," according to court records pertaining to an ongoing legal dispute between Zhang and a New York City designer, which alleges Zhang has failed to pay the designer over $4 million.
"I’d like for you to get to know Bo. He’s a brilliant guy - he’s been groomed to take over his family’s dynasty, but he’s very humble. He will do great things one day, but he needs good people around him," Person said in the 2015 email. "They are very private, and wouldn’t tell anyone about you coming. Bo’s father-in-law is actually the Governor of Hainan (Chinese Hawaii), which he doesn’t advertise at all."
HUNTER BIDEN'S FORMER CHINESE 'BUSINESS COLLEAGUE' STIFFED NYC DESIGNER OUT OF MILLIONS: COURT DOCS
Bo Zhang, left, Hunter Biden, center, and Fran Person, right. (Fox News)
While Person was running for Congress, Hunter and Zhang stayed in communication. On May 6, 2016, Hunter referred to Zhang as his "good friend and business colleague" in an email, which was previously verified by Fox News Digital, to Henry Zhao, a Chinese Communist Party official and CEO of Harvest Fund Management, according to the New York Post. The Post reported that Zhao’s fund participated in a Chinese investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST, where Hunter served as a founding board member until October 2019.
The following year, an email from Schwerin to Hunter revealed that Rosemont Seneca Advisors, which Hunter's LLC, Owasco, has 75% ownership in, held financial interests in multiple Harves affiliates, including a 5% stake with Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both of which fall under Harves Group, according to 2017 emails on Hunter’s abandoned laptop.
Fran has repeatedly claimed that neither Hunter nor any of his associates ever owned equity in any Harves entity or affiliate when Fox News Digital previously pressed him on the multiple emails from Schwerin to Hunter contradicting this claim. A Washington Post fact check previously confirmed that Rosemont Seneca Advisors had "a 5 percent stake in Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both in China."
Bo Zhang, pictured here, met with Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin several times while his business partner, Fran Person, was running for Congress in 2016. (Harves Investment Group/ YouTube Screenshot)
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In one of the earlier text exchanges, Person told Hunter Biden he "selfishly want[s] to work" with him "because I know what the hell your capable of, AND I want to learn from you. I'm putting myself out there right now, and I'm learning quickly." He continued, "But I'd love to be there with you doing some of this stuff. I mention the 500K on 10M raise be I'm about to get started on that, and I could really use your help. We could knock it out together. I'd think that'd help take some bite out, and you wouldn't feel like your ‘resorting’ to anything."
"I've got one loyalty brother. That's to my family. Your family," Person added.
Person did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on why he was in attendance at the trial. It is unclear whether he plans on attending multiple days of the trial or has been in attendance on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
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