By Arjun Singh
A federal judge on Monday denied a motion by Hunter Biden to dismiss tax evasion charges against him, setting the stage for a criminal trial.
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is being prosecuted by Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss on both tax charges and felony gun charges. On Monday, the Judge Mark Scarsi rejected all of Hunter Biden’s arguments to dismiss the charges, ruling that the government’s case has enough merit to go to trial. (RELATED: Legal Experts Call Hunter Biden Plea Deal A ‘Joke,’ ‘Sweetheart Deal’)
Hunter Biden’s attorneys had argued that the charges should be dismissed due to a prior plea agreement in June of 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, which was thrown out by a federal judge of that court. He had also argued that the prosecution against him was “vindictive” and motivated by political reasons, as well as violated the constitutional separation of powers and his due process rights — all of which the trial judge dismissed in an 82-page ruling.
“Defendant asserts he is situated similarly to individuals who did not timely pay income tax for tax year 2019 but received leniency due to COVID-19 relief programs…The Government alleges Defendant’s nonpayment extended well before the emergence of COVID-19 and leniency programs thereunder, providing a legitimate prosecutorial reason to pursue the charge in Count 9 against him and not other individuals who failed to timely pay their 2019 taxes,” wrote Judge Marc Scarsi, an appointee of President Donald Trump.
Hunter Biden was indicted on nine federal charges of tax evasion, tax fraud, and failure to file taxes for years 2016 through 2019. The indictment alleged that Hunter Biden, instead of paying the $1.4 million in taxes he reportedly owed, instead used the money for payments to various women, adult entertainment and pornography. (RELATED: Strip Clubs, Girlfriends, Porn: Here’s How Hunter Allegedly Spent His Money Instead Of Paying Taxes)
Hunter is facing another federal indictment in Delaware related to his alleged possession of a firearm while under the influence of narcotic drugs. He is also the focus of an ongoing impeachment inquiry into his father by the House of Representatives, which concerns his business dealings in Ukraine and China during Joe Biden’s vice presidency.
Read the judge’s order here:
Decision on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, United States v. Biden, No. 2:23-cr-00599-MCS (C.D. Cal, Apr. 1… by Daily Caller News Foundation on Scribd