Washington – A federal judge in Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to postpone 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 for a postponement.
In court filings, his attorneys argued that a series of scheduling conflicts and pending appeals would overlap with his criminal case in Delaware, where he faces three gun-related charges and is expected to appear in court on June 3. Biden has pleaded not guilty to everyone. allegations and denied wrongdoing.
Biden's attorney also argued that challenges in 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 named special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation — alleged that the president's son Joe Biden was involved in a 'four-year indictment'. 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, evading tax assessments and filing a false or fraudulent tax return.
The Ministry of Justice said this Hunter Biden earned more than $7 million in gross income when he didn't pay taxes, claiming he was financing an “extravagant lifestyle” and avoiding taxes by classifying certain 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 continuation announced in court by U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi comes weeks before Biden is scheduled to stand trial in Delaware federal court on gun-related charges also filed by Weiss' office. The president's son is accused of illegally possessing a firearm and using illegal drugs. His lawyers have tried several times without success to postpone the trial.
On Tuesday, the special counsel announced his plans to call numerous 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 during the upcoming weapons trial.
A computer repair shop owner provided the FBI with one Laptop which the store owner says was abandoned Hunter Biden in 2019. He also gave a copy of the laptop data to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Last September, Hunter Biden Giuliani sued for hacking data from his laptop.
Giuliani showed the laptop in public: “This is from Hunter Biden,” he said, holding up 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 allegation that the drive had been tampered with was false. The lawsuit 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 felony tax charges and a diversion agreement stemming from the firearms charge unraveled in court in July 2023 when the judge questioned whether the deal would allow Hunter Biden to face potential future charges to avoid. as well as the costs associated with his taxes.
Hunter Biden's legal team has argued that last summer's agreement, which could have avoided the trials, was still in effect and urged judges to dismiss the charges. So far, those arguments have proven unsuccessful.
Elli Fitzgerald reported from Los Angeles.
