A status conference is set for Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles regarding Hunter Biden’s federal tax case, where he faces allegations of failing to pay over $1.4 million in taxes.
The son of President Joe Biden is slated to go on trial next month on nine charges related to tax evasion, encompassing three felony counts and six misdemeanor counts of failure to pay taxes.
Hunter Biden, 54, from Malibu, is accused in the indictment of spending millions on a lavish lifestyle instead of settling his tax obligations.
U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, appointed by Donald Trump and responsible for overseeing the trial, recently denied a motion from Biden to dismiss the case. Biden argued that the special counsel prosecuting him was improperly appointed.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had already turned down Biden’s attempt to have the charges against him dropped.
In legal documents, Biden’s attorneys claimed that the prosecution stemmed from “direct political pressure.” They noted that their client has since cleared his tax bill along with applicable fines.
Biden is not anticipated to be present at Wednesday’s hearing.
The indictment, a lengthy 56 pages, accuses him of misusing funds between 2016 and October 15, 2020, for drugs, escorts, luxury hotels, rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other personal expenses, rather than paying taxes.
Earlier this year, Biden was convicted of three felony charges in a separate case in Delaware related to a gun purchase from 2018. He was found guilty of lying on a gun purchase application by stating he was not using or addicted to drugs, even though he later acknowledged struggling with addiction at that time.
Court records indicate that sentencing for Hunter Biden in the Delaware case is set for November 13, shortly after the presidential election.
The indictment paints him as a lawyer educated at Georgetown and Yale, as well as a lobbyist, consultant, and businessman, noting his role on the boards of a Ukrainian industrial company and a Chinese private equity firm during the tax claim period.
The indictment states he negotiated lucrative contracts for business and legal services that compensated him and his domestic companies, Owasco PC and Owasco LLC.
In addition to his business endeavors, he was employed by a multinational law firm, as detailed in the indictment.
Hunter Biden has stated he simply forgot to pay his taxes while grappling with addiction issues.