Liam Conner
washington – A federal judge in Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to delay Hunter Biden’s federal criminal trial on tax fraud charges until September.
The case was originally scheduled to go to trial on June 20, but Biden’s legal team asked the court to postpone it.
In court filings, his lawyers argued that a series of scheduling conflicts and pending appeals would overlap with his criminal case in Delaware, where he faces three felony gun charges and is scheduled to go to trial on June 3. accusations and denied any wrongdoing.
Biden’s lawyer also argued that challenges securing expert witnesses warranted a delay during Wednesday’s hearing. Prosecutor Leo Wise dismissed their claims, saying: “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
In a 56-page indictment, special counsel David Weiss — appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware by former President Donald Trump and appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation — alleged that President Joe Biden’s son Biden was involved in a “four-year scheme” to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. In December, he was charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors related to his alleged failure to file and pay taxes , assessment evasion and filing a false or fraudulent tax return.
The Justice Department said Hunter Biden Earned More Than $7 Million in gross income when he paid no taxes and claimed he financed an “extravagant lifestyle” and avoided taxes by classifying some personal expenses – such as luxury hotel stays, luxury vehicle rentals and escort services – as business deductions.
He was not present at Wednesday’s hearing.
The continuance announced in court by U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi comes weeks before Biden is scheduled to stand trial in Delaware federal court on felony gun charges also filed by Weiss’ office. The president’s son is accused of illegally possessing a firearm while using illicit drugs. His lawyers tried several times, unsuccessfully, to delay the trial.
On Tuesday, the special counsel revealed his plans to call several witnesses as part of the gun case, including Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and ex-girlfriends.
Prosecutors also said Wednesday they will try to show the jury photos of his Apple iCloud account and laptop and messages he sent at his upcoming gun trial.
The owner of a computer repair shop provided the FBI with a portable computer which the store owner says was left by Biden Hunter in 2019. He also gave a copy of the laptop’s data to Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Last September, Hunter Biden sued Giuliani for hacking data from his laptop.
Giuliani showed off the laptop in public: “This belongs to Hunter Biden,” he said while holding a laptop during a Feb. 2, 2023 episode of “America’s Mayor Live.” But a spokesman for him said when the lawsuit was filed that the accusation that the unit had been manipulated was false. The case has not been resolved.
Hunter Biden’s legal team has sought to limit what evidence from the laptop can be used by prosecutors at trial.
The dueling cases against the president’s son came after a plea deal on two misdemeanor tax charges and a diversion deal stemming from the firearms charge unraveled in court in July 2023, when the judge questioned whether the deal would allow Hunter Biden to avoid possible future charges, as well as charges related to his taxes.
Hunter Biden’s legal team argued that last summer’s deal that would have avoided the trials was still in effect and urged the judges to dismiss the charges. So far, these arguments have been unsuccessful.
Elli Fitzgerald reported from Los Angeles.
