Attorneys for Hunter Biden return to court in bid to toss tax case
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on March 27, 2024
(LOS ANGELES) — Attorneys for Hunter Biden will return to federal court in Los Angeles Wednesday, seeking the dismissal of the nine tax-related charges brought against President Joe Biden’s son by special counsel David Weiss.
Judge Mark Scarsi will hear arguments on a slew of motions filed by Hunter Biden’s attorneys, after the younger Biden pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this year.
Hunter Biden is not expected to attend the hearing, a member of his legal team told ABC News.
Weiss’ office has accused Hunter Biden, 54, of failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars of income he earned from overseas business ventures. A sprawling 56-page indictment filed in December described in vivid detail how Biden, in the throes of drug and alcohol addiction, spent recklessly on women, clothing and adult entertainment.
“In short, everything but his taxes,” prosecutors wrote.
The back taxes and penalties were subsequently paid in full by a third party, identified by ABC News as Hunter Biden’s attorney and confidant, Kevin Morris.
The charges, which carry a penalty of up to 17 years in prison, include six misdemeanor charges and three felonies, including alleged tax evasion and filing a false return.
Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, claimed in court papers that the indictment resulted from political pressure by Republicans, and that a diversion agreement struck between the two parties last summer remains in effect.
Prosecutors, in response, framed those pleadings and others as nothing more than “conspiracy theories” and “a house of cards.”
Of the claim that Weiss “buckled” under pressure from Republicans, Weiss pointed out that Hunter Biden “testified to Congress that the Special Counsel had undermined the impeachment inquiry conducted by House Republicans.”
“Which is it?” Weiss wrote. “Indeed, the defendant has no evidence to support his shapeshifting claims because the Special Counsel continues to pursue the fair, evenhanded administration of the federal criminal laws.”
Judge Scarsi has scheduled a trial to begin on June 20.
Hunter Biden has also pleaded not guilty to three additional firearm-related charges brought by Weiss’ office in Delaware. That case is expected to go to trial in early June
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