Current:Home > FinanceHunter Biden’s lawyers, prosecutors headed back to court ahead of his trial on federal tax charges -Infinite Edge Capital
Hunter Biden’s lawyers, prosecutors headed back to court ahead of his trial on federal tax charges
View
Date:2025-04-13 18:33:23
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Weeks before Hunter Biden is set to stand trial on federal tax charges, the legal team for President Joe Biden’s son and prosecutors will appear in a California courtroom Wednesday as the judge weighs what evidence can be presented to the jury.
Hunter Biden is accused of a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in taxes in the case headed for trial in September in Los Angeles. It’s the second criminal trial in just months for the president’s son, who was convicted in June of three felony charges in a separate federal case over the purchase of a gun in 2018.
Prosecutors and the defense have been fighting for weeks in court papers over what evidence and testimony jurors should be allowed to hear. Among the topics at issue is evidence related to Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, which have been at the center of Republican investigations into the Democratic president’s family.
Prosecutors say they will introduce evidence of Hunter Biden’s business dealings with a Chinese energy conglomerate, as well as money he made for serving on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma. Prosecutors say the evidence will show Hunter Biden “performed almost no work in exchange for the millions of dollars he received from these entities.”
Special counsel David Weiss’ team also plans to tell jurors about Hunter Biden’s work for a Romanian businessman, who prosecutors say sought to “influence U.S. government policy” while Joe Biden was vice president.
Prosecutors want to call as a witness a Hunter Biden business associate to testify about the arrangement with the Romanian businessman, Gabriel Popoviciu, who was seeking help from U.S. government agencies to end a criminal investigation he was facing in his home country, according to prosecutors.
Hunter Biden and his business associate were concerned their “lobbying work might cause political ramifications” for Joe Biden, so the arrangement was structured in a way that “concealed the true nature of the work” for Popoviciu, prosecutors allege. Prosecutors say Hunter and two business associates split more than $3 million from Popoviciu.
The defense has said evidence about his foreign business dealings is irrelevant to the tax charges and would only confuse jurors. They have accused prosecutors of inappropriately trying to insert “extraneous, politically-charged matters” into the trial.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have indicated they will argue he didn’t act “willfully,” or with the intention to break the law. Pointing to Hunter Biden’s well-documented addiction struggles during those years, they’ve argued his drug and alcohol abuse impacted “his decision-making and judgment, such that Mr. Biden was unable to form the requisite intent to commit the crimes he has been charged with.”
Prosecutors have said that while avoiding his taxes, Hunter Biden was living an “extravagant lifestyle,” spending money on things like drugs, escorts, exotic cars and luxury hotels. The defense is urging the judge to keep those salacious allegations out of the trial.
“The Special Counsel may wish to introduce such evidence for the very reason that it is salacious and would pique the interest of the jury, but for the same reasons and because such evidence would distract the jury from the crimes charged, such information would also be highly prejudicial to Mr. Biden,” defense lawyers wrote in court papers.
Hunter Biden was supposed to plead guilty last year to misdemeanor tax offenses in a deal with prosecutors that would have allowed him to avoid prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble. But the plea deal fell apart after a Delaware federal judge raised concerns about it, and he was subsequently indicted in the two cases.
___
Richer reported from Washington.
veryGood! (976)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Plan Struggles Amid Economic Worries, Study Says
- Work in a Cold Office? These Items Will Keep You Warm
- DeSantis approves changes to election procedures for hurricane affected counties
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- A parent's guide to 'Smile 2': Is the R-rated movie suitable for tweens, teens?
- It's National Pasta Day: Find deals at Olive Garden, Carrabba's, Fazoli's and more
- Here’s What Halloweentown’s Kimberly J. Brown Wants to See in a 5th Installment
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Cleveland Guardians look cooked in ALCS. Can they fight back vs. Yankees?
Ranking
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Plan Struggles Amid Economic Worries, Study Says
- Takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting on extremism in the military
- Meta lays off staff at WhatsApp and Instagram to align with ‘strategic goals’
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Alabama to execute man for killing 5 in what he says was a meth-fueled rampage
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- Drug kingpin Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory leaves federal prison for a residential program in Miami
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Paulson Adebo injury update: Saints CB breaks femur during 'Thursday Night Football' game
Cleveland Guardians look cooked in ALCS. Can they fight back vs. Yankees?
NFL trade candidates: 16 players who could be on the block ahead of 2024 deadline
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Liam Payne's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Shares Glimpse into Singer's Final Weeks Before His Death
Sean Diddy Combs' Baby Oil Was Allegedly Laced With Date Rape Drug
Officials searching for man after puppies left abandoned in milk crate outside PA police station