Jury selection is scheduled to begin Thursday for Hunter Biden, who is going on trial in downtown Los Angeles on federal tax charges.
A pool of 100 potential jurors will be parsed in efforts to find a panel to decide the guilt or innocence of President Joe Biden’s son, who faces nine tax-related counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanor counts of failing to pay more than $1.4 million in taxes.
Hunter Biden, 54, of Malibu, “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” the indictment alleges.
Defense lawyers say they believe the case was brought “in direct response to political pressure,” according to filings in Los Angeles federal court.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys said the defendant has repaid the government $2 million in back taxes and penalties. He is charged with evading a tax assessment, failing to file and pay taxes, and filing a false or fraudulent tax return.
TODAY: Hunter Biden’s tax trial carries less political weight but heavy emotional toll for the president
There are no reported indications the sides are close to a plea agreement. The trial is expected to last two weeks, with opening statements anticipated Monday in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, an appointee of former President Donald Trump.
Evidence of the younger Biden’s partying during a period when he was admittedly using crack cocaine and allegedly willfully failing to pay more than $1.4 million in taxes may become part of the trial, federal prosecutors indicated.
Scarsi previously rejected Hunter Biden’s bid to toss the case after the defendant sought to argue that David Weiss, the special counsel overseeing the prosecution, was improperly appointed.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Biden’s request to revive a bid to have the charges against him dismissed.
Regarding the tax charges, the 56-page indictment alleges that between 2016 and Oct. 15, 2020, “the defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts…
Read the full article here
