Hunter Biden's lawyers are pushing back against prosecutors' attempts to introduce politically-charged allegations about his foreign business dealings into his upcoming federal tax trial. The trial, set to take place next month in Los Angeles, focuses on at least $1.4 million in taxes owed by Hunter Biden between 2016 and 2019.
Prosecutors plan to call a business associate of Hunter Biden's to testify about an arrangement with a Romanian businessman who sought to influence U.S. government policy during Joe Biden's tenure as vice president. Hunter Biden's defense team argues that these matters are irrelevant to the tax case and could confuse jurors.
The defense criticized prosecutors for introducing these allegations on the eve of the trial, emphasizing that the indictment does not mention political influence. They described the move as echoing baseless claims made by House Republicans to attack Hunter Biden and his father.
Prosecutors aim to present evidence of the arrangement with the Romanian businessman to counter the defense's argument that Hunter Biden's drug use during the tax years impacted his decision-making. They assert that Hunter Biden's actions in the arrangement demonstrate sound judgement, as he agreed to attempt to influence U.S. public policy in exchange for millions of dollars.
The Romanian businessman, Gabriel Popoviciu, allegedly sought U.S. government intervention in a bribery investigation he was facing in Romania. Prosecutors claim that Hunter Biden and his business associate agreed to help Popoviciu fight the charges, with payments disguised as management services for real estate properties in Romania.
The prosecution alleges that the true nature of the work was to influence U.S. government agencies to investigate the Romanian case. Hunter Biden's business associate received over $3 million for this work, which was shared with Hunter Biden and another partner.
This tax trial follows Hunter Biden's recent conviction on three felony gun charges related to a gun purchase in 2018. He was found guilty of providing false information on a gun-purchase form regarding his drug use.
